A celebrity sits down to do a quiz. Simple enough. Except their only lifeline is a phone call from whoever happens to be available - a Boost Juice employee, the Devil, Alexander Graham Bell, a cloud. Wax Quizzical is a fully improvised quiz show hosted by Kyran Nicholson, live from Comedy Republic in the heart of Melbourne. Each episode, a comedian attempts ten trivia questions with the help of the brains trust - Australia’s best improvisers, deep in character, completely committed, and almost…
What has existed on Earth for longer: sharks or trees? Robyn Reynolds accidentally started her comedy career by getting very drunk at a Sydney open mic and telling a rambling, unplanned story about a bad date, which someone later praised as her "drunk girl act." Calling in to help her (or not): Brian Cox, a physicist who keeps insisting the galaxy is about the size of his head; Clemorn from…
Dogs show magnetic alignment, often positioning along Earth's field when doing what? Sashi Perera once went on a platypus tour. Helping her get through ten questions: Murray, a tiny man who spends the episode getting swept from a bedside drawer into a magpie's nest and down a creek in a paper hat; Mary, a woman hiding in the bathroom at her parents' dinner party; and Donald McPherson, an ivory…
The first YouTube video, uploaded in 2005, is titled Me at the what? Con Coutis studied Latin, loves the word defenestrate, and used to do the newspaper quiz with his parents until they moved to Perth. Helping him: Formula One driver Lando Norris, calling in to deny there is a rat under his hat; White Blade, half man half vampire, all their strengths, none of their weaknesses, who moves into your…
Why did eight uninvited theatre companies turn up in Edinburgh in August 1947, accidentally creating the Fringe? Rhys Nicholson - Kyran's husband - is in the guest chair, and the brains trust includes a member of the actual household: Hopkins the dog, on stage and alarmingly candid. Phoning in to help are Shrek, who maintains his film is a documentary of his life; Soft Touch Sherelle, a…
Why do theatres leave a single, bare bulb burning centre-stage overnight? Virginia Gay steps out of her directorial role of Mackenzie and onto the Wax Quizzical battlefield, going head to head with Stan (Damien Callinan) who's pretty alright at trivia, Sir Robert Nida (Ben Russell) who taught Cate how to Blanchett and Virginia how to Gay, and Miles Turd (Amy Ruffle) who lives in an alternate…
Why does British tradition insist that at least six ravens are always kept at the Tower of London, their wings clipped so they can't fly away? Alex Ward is back for another crack, straight off a stand-up gig in Hobart and still a bit haunted by how she went here last time. Talking her through it: Mr. Trivia, holder of the world record for the worst trivia performance in history, who just wants to…
In 1932 the Australian military declared war on an animal. What animal, and who won? Geraldine Hickey is back, live in front of an audience this time - she previously scored a suspiciously perfect 10 with Google open under the table. Keeping her honest: Tiffany the perfect girlfriend (expert in baking, beds and being somewhere between 18 and 35), Marguerite, a French sommelier living under France…
What is a group of flamingos called? Wil Anderson is back for a second crack, still chasing his all-time high of five. Helping him: Smooth Thomas, the smoothest boy in the world; Grain, a Brisbane man who picked up a Berlin accent in two months; and Lorne Pathway, who sells cigarettes to children. Between them they have a lot of opinions and very few facts. A new episode of Wax Quizzical with host…
What is the deadliest animal to humans each year? Oliver Coleman thinks it's hippos, then humans, then gets quite cross about the whole premise. Standing by to help: Old Bernard (a duck farmer down to one finger), Gulliver (100ft tall, six months into a relationship with a colossal squid), and Limerick the Traffic Troll, who lives under the Westgate Bridge and is, against all odds, the most…
Which animal did a Chinese zoo try to pass off as a lion? Mish Wittrup has 65% confidence rating on John Leguizamo trivia. Helping her: Gazelle (currently casting a children's version of Rent, no edits), the Swedish Chef's cousin (who lost the only car in Sweden), and a small capsicum who really connects with the Carolina Reaper. Between them, they cover marine biology, ketamine history, and the…
Wax Quizzical Live at Comedy Republic! Get ready for a chaotic, high-energy live episode of Wax Quizzical , recorded straight from the heart of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival at Comedy Republic ! Host Kyran Nicholson is joined by Australian comedy legend Rove McManus and Michelle Brasier aka. Bondelle as they attempt to tackle trivia with a little help from some very "special" guests.…