Review: Annus Horribilis at Grouse Melbourne

Review by Greg Gorton

There is a place among the comedy world reserved for a very particular type of “therapeutic theatre”. Artists take something traumatic from their lives and turn it into something (hopefully) funny. It’s a way to vent feelings, educate the public, and find joy in suffering. Some of these shows sadly end up quite morose, others spend too much energy on the artist’s needs than the audiences. Others, like Annus Horribilis, leave you both wiping tears of laughter and walking away with an appreciation of, not just what the artist experienced, life and the strength that can be found within it.

After discovering she had a genetic disorder, Sharnema Nougar had a complete hysterectomy and oophorectomy. A quite involved and traumatic procedure, it comes with the added bonus of immediately putting a body into menopause. Annus Horribilis is an exploration of that journey, the trials it placed in Nougar’s way, and how she deals with it. The show uses skits, songs, some light audience interactions, and some somewhat unexpected impressions of powerful women.

I have to admit that, walking in, I fully expected to enjoy this show. Sharnema Nougar has directed some of my most loved cabaret comedies, including Gemma Caruana’s “Rage Bait” and Sugar Bits’ “Feminist Trash”. While I had yet to see her on stage, I had little doubt it would be good.

By the time the costumed Nougar made her way from the back of the room to the stage proper, some audience members had already lost their senses in laughter. Even when minor technical failures occur, Nougar has us nearly convinced that they happen every performance. There are little moments of banter with the technician, incredible improvised moments in response to the enthusiastic audience, and Nougar builds quickly an atmosphere that this tale of trauma is not a tale of tragedy.

There is a good mix of music, skit, and storytelling in this show, but one is far stronger than the others. In terms of musical comedy, there are stronger writers out there, though few who would have the creative ideas to play on any possible weaknesses. The story-telling is kept to a minimum, for context only, and Nougar does her best to find humorous ways to present and/or interrupt her own seriousness. This includes giving these heartfelt moments the disrespect of being done during a costume change - the comedy works in the contrast so delightfully well.

The true strength in this show, however, is in the ridiculous impressions and sketches, complete with wildly fun costumes. Kate Bush, Miss Piggy, and Queen Elizabeth take to the stage, examples of strong women in patriarchal contexts, and (it looks like) incredibly fun to play. There’s never an attempt to make the audience expect these impressions to be good, but to enjoy the process of doing them, and what they represent.

One skit that doesn’t work quite as well for me is as Nougar brings an audience member on stage for a short Q & A, the audience member given a script to follow. While incredibly important for what the audience needs to know from this show, there are many lost opportunities for humour that I think would add to the ongoing conversation about misogyny in medicine while keeping that consistent laughter going.

These are nitpicks.

Annus Horribilis was my final show to review for the Melbourne Fringe Festival. In a Festival that I believe has been full of stronger performances than ever before, few will stand out as well as this show. I feel so lucky to have caught it and I hope it returns for MICF.

Image Supplied