The Melbourne International Comedy Festival has kicked off for another year, and I was lucky enough to be able to get tickets to so many amazing comedians that I wanted to see. So I've decided to review all the shows I see, and to include some general comedy festival tips as well (scroll to the end for those!). Today, Celia Pacquola!
One of the first things I noticed when entering the Comedy Theatre is that there seemed to be a lot of people there that were old enough to be my grandparents. Mentioning this to my husband, he said he had also noticed this, then, looking concerned for the row of older women who had sat beside us, asked 'Does she swear a lot?'. I realised that they must have seen her on one of her TV shows on the ABC and, not having seen any of Celia's stand-up myself, hoped they weren't in for an unpleasant surprise.
So Celia isn't a crude comedian by any means, but perhaps laser hair removal and sex tapes aren't topics that Grandma wants to hear about. But hey, maybe they learnt some things, and I have to say, the old man next to me was having a great old time, cracking up at every joke.
Much of the show focused on mental health, not in a dark way, and not in a making fun of it way, but just as a fact of life. Which I really liked, because for many of us it is just something that we have to deal with as part of our lives.
She also touched on the #metoo movement and the question of how to be a good feminist, what to do when confronted by a pervert, and the all too relatable feelings of talking yourself down when given a compliment, and regret at having made plans. Also, for those extra feels, the show ends on a sweet, hilarious story.
Basically, this show is life. Celia discusses the feelings and inner dialogue that we all have, making us feel less alone when we ask ourselves 'What the fuck are you doing?'.
Where can you find Celia?
At the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (there are only 8 more shows, so get tickets ASAP!) https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2018/shows/celia-pacquola-all-talk
In Canberra in May, find tickets here:
At the Brisbane Comedy Festival: https://www.brisbanecomedyfestival.com/artists/celia-pacquola/
On various episodes of podcasts, such as Don't You Know Who I Am with Josh Earl, and The Little Dum Dum Club.
On the TV show Rosehaven, that she co-wrote and co-stars in with Luke McGregor. Check it out on iView here: https://iview.abc.net.au/programs/rosehaven/CO1510T003S00#pageloaded
TICKETS
Of course, all the big acts sell out pretty quickly, but if you can't get tickets to who you wanted, or if you're just not sure who to see, why not try someone new? If you head to Town Hall, you will see so many people handing out flyers for shows, this is also great for last minute tickets, if you have seen an early show and want to extend your comedy fix for the night. If you're not sure who to see, it can also be great to see a show with more than one comedian, so you get a bit of variety.
There can be massive queues if you're buying them on the night though, so if you can it's best to book in advance, which you can do here: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2018
PARKING
If you're driving into the city, parking can cause massive anxiety, where to park, does it cost money, how far is it from the venue, etc. I've found the best thing to do is to pre-book your parking online, which you can do here: https://www.wilsonparking.com.au/book-a-bay. You just find the closest parking lot to your venue, book it, and when you show up you just tap your card to enter and exit. It's also sometimes a bit cheaper, but it is cheap anyway, usually about $6 for the night. You also get Velocity points, which is an extra bonus.
Hey thanks for writing a review. What was the sweet ending story about?
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