By Jamie Salter
It is not often cancer and comedy are paired together but that’s just what Michael Shafar is doing by bringing his critically acclaimed show 110 per cent to Bunjil Place.
Double-dosed with AstraZeneca (because he’s not a coward) and boosted twice with Pfizer (because he’s not brand loyal), the testicular cancer survivor is solving all of the world’s problems with a new show.
How do we get everyone vaccinated? How do we solve racism? How do we save the world from climate disaster?
Michael promises to offer pragmatic solutions to all of these problems and more in 60 minutes.
Born and bred in south east Melbourne, Michael has had more than 10 million hits on his TikTok videos over the past 12 months, upset seemingly every anti-vaxxer in the world and managed to become the victim of a fake news scandal in China.
“I cut my teeth doing open mic comedy in the area, which can sometimes be pretty brutal! I remember doing a bunch of shows at a shisha bar in Springvale, where I was pretty much performing to a haze of smoke,” he said.
Since leaving a career in law, Michael has been busy justifying that decision to his Jewish mother.
He has somewhat achieved that, having sold out shows around the country and appeared on Network 10’s The Project and Studio 10, ABC’s Comedy Bites, triple j’s Good Az Friday, SBS’s RAW Comedy and pretty much every other TV and radio network in the country.
Despite racking up rave reviews everywhere he performs, Michael’s favourite review ever has been from his oncologist who sent him an email after catching Michael’s show last year’s festival, which simply read: “Great show, Michael! You were well worth the chemo!”
It is a timely show as it leads into Testicular Cancer Awareness Month in April, which aims to educate young men about the importance of early detection.
The show will be held at Bunjil Place on Friday 18 March at 8pm, with a run time of one hour and 15 minutes.
Tickets cost $25 for adults, $20 for pensioners, seniors and students and $20 per person for groups of eight plus.
For more information or to book, visit bunjilplace.com.au/michael-shafar-110
