Saturday 10 December 2016

Disappointments, Judith Lucy and Denise Scott, Canberra Theatre

It's about three and a half years since Judith and Denise last toured with their last shows together, and since then, several things have gone on - Denise has won an award and been written out of "Winners and Losers" (without her character ever getting a proper exit), Judith's had a few TV projects of her own. So both of them are back together for another go-round, this time particuarly focussed on the things that have disappointed them.

Well, sorta. Mostly it is a somewhat similar mix to last time, a combo of standup, audience interrogation, a little scripted fighting and, yes, the return of certain outfits. This time we get the show somewhat earlier in its development, which means, among other things, Denise is not utterly on top of her lines in a couple of the more scripted elements (but the shemozzle that happens means that it's pretty much as entertaining as if the lines had come out perfectly). There's a couple of staging elements that may need a rethink (in particular, the opening with both in their separate beds has them a fair distance from the audience - hopefully future revisions will bring them back up close and personal earlier, as that's how they work best).

The "disappointments" theme does mean that a lot of the standup tends to be a bit of a whine, which particularly Judith can indulge in rather a lot - it may be wise to dial that back just a little and get away from it. In general, there's not necessarily a lot new here, although what there is is still two very good comedians giving good funny stuff. This'll be touring for a while up until the Melbourne Comedy Festival, and by that time it should be a riotous good time (it's already pretty damn funny as is). So if you like either of the two and don't hate the other one, it's probably worth a look.

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