Review by Tatum Stafford
Bursting onto the stage with tons of energy and a notepad chock-full of new jokes to test out, it was a real treat to catch Grace Jarvis in her WIP (work in progress) show this Perth Fringe Festival.
Grace was armed with plenty of material, including hilarious anecdotes about her upbringing and parents, and switching seamlessly to heavier subject material including health issues and biting social commentary. Having followed Grace on Twitter for a while, I was excited to see how her sharp wit online would translate into a live stand-up setting, and she had fantastic stage presence and such a fun, playful dynamic with the audience that was a real treat to watch.
As this was a work in progress show, I don’t want to give too much away, but I hope she keeps in her material about her chronic illness in particular. It was really eye-opening and refreshing to hear about her experiences with illness, particularly as a young person often surrounded by people who became unwell much later in life than she. Grace navigated topics like this with ease and approachability, which her audience were very supportive of. It struck the perfect blend between reality and comedy.
It's also a treat when comedians can throw in some local knowledge and banter – and a very angry dad of a kid riding an e-scooter that knocked Grace over earlier that day made for a solid few minutes of hilarious material.
This show is directed by Laura Davis and follows Grace’s huge show last year (‘This Is The Last Goldfish That I Am Going To Eat For You). If this early outing of ‘Oh! The Horrors!’ is anything to go by, audiences across the country are in for a real treat when it tours.
It’s always a pleasure to catch a show early in its development process, and it’s clear Grace has tons of clever and funny material that the audience really resonated with. I only imagine the show will get tighter and funnier with the more time it has to come together, but this initial showing showed a ton of promise and fun.
If you have the chance to catch Grace around the country, I’d highly recommend snapping up a ticket and going along – you’ll be in for a thoroughly entertaining night and will definitely laugh a lot.
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