Some major changes in Irene Pink’s life led to the writing of her latest show Metamorphosis. A drastic loss of weight and the embracing of some spirituality changed her life, but underneath it all she was the same Polynesian Butterfly she has always been.
After some banter with the crowd that provided some background about her life, Irene presented a number of hilarious stories about her journey of transformation. The material covered many issues relevant to all women such as body issues, peer pressure, men and sex, as well as some typically male issues that were approached from a female perspective. This unique viewpoint was refreshing and certainly gave the detractors of female comedians some food for thought. She often diverted onto tangents that on the surface were unrelated to the main topic. As she got things back on course you could see where this material fitted into the greater scheme of things. Irene may have given the impression that she was inadvertently way off track, but she obviously had a well constructed master plan.
Irene had a disarming personality with a cheeky element beneath the surface and plenty of sass. A slightly bitchy aspect was reserved for some deserving targets but she was generally cheerful and lighthearted in her delivery. She was particularly playful with this audience, chatting away to the ladies in the crowd as though they were her best friends while comically flirting with some embarrassed gents. Her brilliant rapport kept us entertained, enthralled and laughing.
As I have seen in other shows this festival, Irene gave the show a conclusion with a message rather than orchestrating a huge zinger to end on. Aside from chuckles of recognition from the wickedly relevant outro song, this show didn’t really end on a laugh. It may have been her intention to give the show a positive message but this wasn’t the finish you would expect from a comedy show.
Aside from the limp ending, Irene presented a wonderful hour of crowd pleasing stand up and stories. Definitely one to check out.
Visit the NZ Comedy festival Website for booking details.