Michael Hing’s Get in the Submarine is less a polished stand-up set and more a hilarious, chaotic conversation with an old friend - if that friend happened to be a wildly self-deprecating, awkwardly charming overthinker with a successful career in TV and radio. Performing in the Spiegel Zelt at the Garden of Unearthly Delights, Hing kept things loose, bouncing off the audience with improvisational talent that turned every unexpected interjection into comedy gold. Normally, I’d find a loud crowd irritating, but his casual, conversational style made it feel like part of the show.
Right from the start, Hing sets the tone with an genuine, unscripted moment: having accidentally left a prop backstage, he tried (and failed) to get the stagehand’s attention before roping in an audience member to fetch it. It was a small moment, but one that made him feel entirely at home with us - and made us feel at home with him. This, combined with the Spiegel Zelt's intimate atmosphere, made us feel like we were riffing with a friend. It broke the ice immediately and made the performance not feel so... well, performative. From there, he led us through stories about his wedding and the cultural quirks of blending two ethnicities, as well as musings on Tom Cruise, Luigi Mangione, and the strange trajectory of his broadcasting career, and a personal insight into his highly comprehensive backpack collection. There was a distinct insider thrill in hearing him reference names familiar to anyone who’s ever tuned into Triple J or The Project, and he often paused to check in with the audience, workshopping jokes for the upcoming Just for Laughs Gala. This peek into his creative process only made the night feel more personal, as though we were in on the act itself.
As a longtime fan of his Triple J show with Lewis Hobba - and someone still in denial about the fact their Silver Bullet podcast may never be coming back (I need closure on the Botox cliffhanger!) - I had high hopes. And while he may not have touched on my burning questions, I was too busy laughing to mind. By the end, it didn’t feel like we had just watched a comedian - it felt like we’d made a new friend.
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