Club XX
It can be great fun attending an opening night. The audience is full of all those involved in the production, friends and family, all excited for the performers and wishing them well. This was the vibe at The Vault for the debut of female comedy duo Brenna Glazebrook and Clem Bastow. Club XX was a sketch show born out of The Skirt Network, a support group for women in the comedy industry and it was no surprise then that this show covered what would be considered ‘Women’s Issues’.
The Eurythmics’ ‘Sisters Are Doing it For Themselves’ perfectly set the tone for a daggy old fashioned 1980s style feminist comedy show, when women could still proudly crack funny jokes about tampons and periods without being derided as ‘politically correct’ (what right wing 90s dick created that odious phrase anyway?) It’s funny how you think you’re grown up and unshockable, then their “white pants confidence” sketch can still take your breath away, before you laugh like a drain. There are some topics that I am thoroughly sick of however, no matter how cleverly and comically it’s portrayed, the Brazilian bikini wax fad has now been done to death, but I digress. The girls had some wonderful pre-taped gags which added some variety to the show and gave them a break / chance to prepare for the next sketch which is always a great idea. One of my fave things in the show was the running Dolly Doctor gag and the stand out sketch, perhaps owing to Clem’s expertise was set in an indy record shop. There were some cracking punchlines and the final sketch sent the show out with a hilarious bang.
The personalities of the two women worked well together with Clem’s dry straight girl contrasting neatly with the broader and more animated Brenna and they had a lot of fun doing interesting character work, including two male characters. My main criticism of the show was that though funny, and apart from some sharp sparks here and there, most of the topics were fairly pedestrian. I rarely got the sense that they were saying anything fresh. Surely there are laughs to be found in feminist topics that are more in keeping with the zeitgeist (the sexualisation of little girls, boyfriends who don’t want to grow up and leave their parent’s home, should women vote for women because they’re women? etc,) and a couple of these might have given things a lift. Though I fully believe that as long as men keep up with the penis humour, periods are a perfectly valid topic for comedy, especially if you can generate a big belly laugh. Club XX, generated heaps of laughs, it was a thoroughly entertaining, jolly fun show that was well put together and has benefited, no doubt from the experienced direction of Justin Hamilton. Also they throw out lollies at half time!
Visit the Fringe Website for booking details.