mindshare is a creative community and online mental health publication. Reflections are by mindshare writers with lived experience of mental illness, specifically critiquing through a mental health lens. Content may contain triggering themes.
You know when you go out to a club with a group of girlfriends, all the handbags are thrown down, and you’re dancing all night, completely carefree as if time and the rest of the world don’t exist; and you only stop to rest over a few drinks with teeny umbrellas and there’s always that one friend who is side splittingly funny and holds court all evening? Yep, that’s exactly what Vanessa ‘Larry’ Mitchell’s one woman show feels like.
From the moment Vanessa bound on stage, literally boots and all, she was funny, and thank goodness for that, because I needed a good laugh last night!
I don’t know if it was the venue or just Vanessa’s casual, effortless and seamless humour, but the whole show felt intimate. I didn’t feel like I was in a room full of strangers watching a stand-up comedy act…I felt like I was part of Vanessa’s inner circle and I think the rest of the audience felt the same if their participation is anything to go by. Vanessa interacted and engaged with the audience and they responded, each bouncing off each other which added to the overall charm of the show.
Teardrops on my dildo felt honest, confident and had an infectious sense of fun. Vanessa regaled us with yarns about periods, contraception, her ‘stoner’ daughter, being a mother, and the perils of internet dating. Her stories were laugh out loud funny and they were real. Vanessa herself has a relaxed delivery, which is polished but raw, and gives the show an edge making the jokes feel completely organic. There was plenty of energy with Vanessa bringing a smattering of welcome feminist attitude to her anecdotes, especially relevant given the current state of the nation, making me think Vanessa is exactly the comedian women need right now.
Given I am reviewing this show for mindshare, through a mental health lens, I have to say the show didn’t really cover that topic at all. However, Vanessa says that laughter is the best remedy for being down in the dumps, and I think she’s right. Given I walked out of her show last night feeling happy and lighter than I have all week, maybe laughter really is the tonic we need sometimes. I wholeheartedly recommend this show if you want a cool night out with loads of laughs, get yourself a dose of comedy people, you’ll be thankful for it.