Review – Fiona O’Loughlin: My Brilliant Career
It’s often difficult to review a great show for two reasons. Firstly, there usually aren’t any negatives you can point out and criticise. Secondly, you want to tread lightly regarding the subject matter so as not to spoil the experience for anyone swayed to check it out. However, there are few better indications that you’re in for a great show than when the room lights up at the mere presence of the act you’ve come to see.
From the moment Fiona O’Loughlin takes the stage to the moment you begrudgingly stand up to leave there is not a doubt that you’re in the company of genius. A genius not attributed to years of academia, but rather a genius in the effortless delivery of a good old fashioned yarn. My Brilliant Career highlights O’Loughlin’s trials and tribulations as she’s clawed her way to the top of the Australian comedy hierarchy. Pitfalls, learning curves, trials by fire and fiery comedy deaths litter her perfectly crafted biography.
O’Loughlin’s ability to craft simple, effective narratives from what can only be described as absurdist real events is sensational and she had the whole room in fits of laughter and, often times, even shock. I kept turning to my counterpart with hands raised to my face, either stifling laughs, wiping away tears or gasping in awe at the onslaught of hilarious anecdotes being casually thrown in our direction. The key to her success is in how naturally she delivers her material; you never feel talked down to and never feel ill-at-ease, as is sometimes the case with more abrasive comedy acts.
My Brilliant Career is one bloody brilliant good time.
Fiona O’Loughlin’s My Brilliant Career is playing at The Melbourne Town Hall from the 7th til the 14th of April, except Sunday, at 7:00pm, 8:15pm Mondays.
