Did you know Melbourne had the longest lockdown in the world? Judith and Denise know because they were fucking there. And so, of course, were the Melbourne audience at the opening night of their two-woman return-to-comedy show, Still Here.
The performing
arts has gone in-and-out of existence in Melbourne over the past two years and
reflections on lockdown and the pandemic have appeared in various forms over
that time. Festivals popped up in person and online and while we’re not out of
the woods yet, at least we’re out of our houses.
Judith Lucy
and Denise Scott have a lot to make fun of looking back at 2020 and 2021 –
foregrounding the fact that they haven’t been able to work at all and in their
advancing years, having more time to reflect doesn’t always lead to great
outcomes. Denise is stuck at home with her husband of 41 years, who refuses to
listen to her when he’s preparing for a colonoscopy. And Judith’s only adventures
are a back-alley haircut and occasionally seeing her physical therapist, the
only form of male attention she’s had for two years.
I’m glad we’re
at the stage where we can laugh about lockdowns and curfews and the loopholes
for not wearing a mask outdoors – coffee and jogging. Though occasionally some
of the jokes made me wince because a lot of the pandemic hasn’t been funny and
maybe it is “too soon”.
The pair are
raucous and entertain with dance numbers and costume changes and witty one-liners
all topped off with a Stephen Sondheim song. Director Stephen Nicolazzo keeps
everything on track, turning Jude and Scotty’s anarchic stage presence into a
tight 60 minutes of fun. They’re still here and Australian audiences will be thoroughly
entertained, even though only Melbourne can appreciate all the jokes.
Still
Here is still here
in Melbourne until April 24th and then tours to Sydney, Brisbane,Hobart and Perth, with some regional dates scattered in between.
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