It is so easy to dismiss Fiona O’Loughlin as the crazy Catholic mother of five from Alice Springs who jokes at the expense of her family – but O’Loughlin is so much more. She really is one of the best stand-up acts around, and I’m not talking about here in Australia, but on the international circuit. The Barry-award nominated comedian is consistently first-class, always at the peak of her game, sharp, punchy and can make parental neglect sound downright endearing.
I’ve seen quite a few Fiona O’Loughlin shows over the years and she always delivers a quality performance but this year there was a subtle difference in her material. Sure her kids and her own failings as a wife, parent and nurse all get their moment in the sun but this year O’Loughlin’s act moves into more mature territory. I’m not saying that because O’Loughlin mentions that she’s going through the change (although her take on menopause was very funny) but because she talks about how she was starting to feel a bit nutty and has visited a psychologist. Of course when O’Loughlin re-enacts an appointment with a professional counsellor and the things he prompts her to remember it is always going to hilarious but there was more to it than that – it felt really honest. I guess O’Loughlin is always candid – you couldn’t write crazy situations that good if you tried – but this show was more about O’Loughlin and just a little less about her kids.
I’ve always liked O’Loughlin but this year’s show is really awesome. We’ve come to know O’Loughlin well through her stand-up and her television appearances, she doesn’t even have to tell us she has five kids anymore (that’s just a given) but there wasn’t a sniff of any recycled material in there either. Of all the straight stand-up acts at this year’s festival O’Loughlin really stands out as the leader of the pack. There was a lot of love in the room for O’Loughlin last night – and rightly so, she deserves it.
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