Celia Pacquola’s show Am I Strange? won best comedy at last year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival and it is easy to see why people were raving about it. I want to rave about it too, I loved this show. After welcoming us into the tiniest room at the base of the Town Hall, Celia assured us that although this is a show about exploring her experience with a cheating boyfriend, we needn’t panic, there will be no bitter angst or gnashing of teeth. Sure enough, this was perhaps the most cheery, sweet and funny account of a broken heart you are likely to hear.
I’ve always found Celia a delightfully charming stand up comedian, with a comically expressive face and a truly unique, surprising, quirky style, so I was looking forward to being taken inside her mind. She did not disappoint and found creative and goofy ways to share her inner world with us. It was an ingeniously designed production, with clever, tightly timed lighting, sound and special effects employed. The felt board used to display the images in her mind was so much more dramatic and appropriate to the story than boring old PowerPoint. She could slam those pictures on the fabric with great passion and panache. Eventually this led to an emotionally triumphant and moving finale that I won’t spoil for you.
There was not a weak aspect to this show and Celia had the audience laughing and gasping throughout her story. Not a unique scenario perhaps, but she astutely captured her own spin on it and displayed her talent as a storyteller. This would be a great girls night out show, but the bloke beside me enjoyed it as well. Celia couldn’t bring herself to reek the revenge she craved, but if the best revenge is living well, then with this show, Celia has the sweetest revenge of all.
Visit the Comedy Festival Website for booking details.