Whilst waiting in the queue to go into Felicity Ward’s show Busting A Nut I noticed a very young girl holding a ticket. ‘Am I in the right queue?’ I wondered, then I realised no children’s show is kicking off at 9.00pm so clearly this child was in the wrong. But no, we were both heading into the show, in fact, this precocious little tyke was heading for front row centre.
So unsurprisingly it didn’t take long for Felicity to notice to small elephant in the room (no reflection on the child’s size, she was… child size) and she ascertained that the girl was 11 and her mother was mysteriously seated two rows behind. So there was essentially an unattended minor at her show. Now, this is where I’d like to pause and address audience etiquette, if the timing of the show is not a good indicator for you that it’s not a kids show then surely the ‘not suitable for children under 14’ should make it clear enough. I’ve sat through numerous shows in which a child is present and watched a comic flounder as they try to come up with a replacement for every time they say ‘cunt’ in their material. It’s not fair on the comedian and it’s not fair on the child who as to sit through something that is not for them. So props to Felicity for announcing she would not be editing her material for her underage audience, and tut to the mother who brought her child along with her.
With that, the Australian comic launched into a hilarious show with a scattergun approach to her subjects. From her mother’s grasp of the Italian language to her Greek mother-in-law’s feeding habits, to ridiculing Instagram quotes to portraying drunk women in the streets to describing the pain it is to be a person with a big nose (I identify heavily) Busting a Nut is packed with gags, physical jokes and tight writing that made me cry with laughter.
This lively show buzzed with energy and a perfect balance of smart and silly. The material was certainly not suitable for an 11-year-old. Having said all that, the highlight of the show for me was probably a solid five minutes of fart material. Comedy; you can analyse it, read books on it, hold intellectual conversations about it but really when you get to the essence of it… there is nothing funnier than a fart joke. Fight me.
★★★★★
Felicity Ward: Busting a Nut is at 21:00 at Pleasance Courtyard, Above until 26th August. For tickets and more information click here!
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