https://www.thepost.co.nz/culture/350281425/samantha-hannahs-show-not-just-female-lady-women-comedians

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Samantha Hannah’s Female Lady Women Comedians is a show I’ve been wanting to catch since I read Maryanne Cathro’s wonderful review about this time last year – and what a show it is!

An hour of affectionate satire about all-female comedy line ups, Hannah plays four characters (and herself) across the show, who, despite claiming she’s got no strength in accents, are all distinct and delightful.

Emily Dixon-Smith is bright, punny and technically a Kiwi. As she reads her jokes out of what looks like a diary, her anxiety is endearing – ’cause at least some of us in the audience have been there. She nails her material and we bid her farewell.  

Sweaty Patches’ time on stage is very short, punctuated by some intentional technical issues, but her clown nose and banana costume is nothing short of memorable.

A first-time comedian on holiday from Scotland is Marianne McLeod, who is bolshy and bold, and very much a play on the trademark international touring comedian who is very keen to be in the country but might not have nailed their local references yet. Much like the rest of the performers in this show, she’s unbelievably charming, and leaves us giggling in our seats.

The final of the lineup is Abigail Gardener, who comes striding out in a whoopie cushion costume, to perform some ‘anti-comedy’ for us. No spoilers, but her control of the audience is masterful, and we’re all performing by the end.

Samantha Hannah is a comedian at the top of her game. Satire works best with an implicit knowledge of who you’re satirising, and I can read Hannah’s affection for the comedy community – especially non-cis-men-led lineups like Femmes & Thems – baked into the moments of this show. The comedy world can be isolating if you’re not a cis dude, but this show is a warm hug of distinct but recognisable personalities, and a wonderful night out.

If you’re in Auckland this week, don’t miss it!

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Samantha Hannah is Scottish. As she points out, this makes everything she says sound sarcastic. It is the perfect framing for a satirical comedy show about comedy.

Hannah is the MC of an all-women comedy line-up. Opening the show with some great material of her own, she then introduces to the stage a newish comedian called Emily Dixon Smith. Disappearing into the tardis-like expanse of the space behind a screen where all of the lineup are hanging, ‘Emily’ emerges in beige cardigan, and the show is off. 

The conceit of an entire line-up of comedians all played by one person is delightfully clever (and I hope that isn’t a spoiler for anyone who misunderstood the marketing material. I confess that I wasn’t entirely sure what was happening until it happened!). We are introduced to Emily, then Sweaty Patches, Marion Macleod (visiting from Glasgow) and finally Abigail Gardener. How they dress, their comedy styles, their universal commitment to all take the same action (no spoilers!) are as distinct as a woman in black with an undeniably Scottish accent can make them.

So why satire? Hannah is certainly not satirising these hilarious characters, but rather the comedy world they are attempting to navigate. From audio tracks to clever utilisation of the acting skills of Woman-Tech Friday Kate Spencer, to some heartfelt storytelling, we get a vivid picture of how hard comedy can be for women (those of us who are women in comedy can hard relate!) while also laughing ourselves silly. 

This comedy festival is full of shows based on the comedian’s lived experiences – neuro diversity, race and gender are all showing up as themes. In a world where so many of us feel like outliers just trying to fit in, our comedians are out there telling their stories, and therefore ours.

The bottom line for any comedy show is, did the audience laugh? Oh yes, we laughed until we cried. The audience was diverse, and universally entertained. Me, I love to think and laugh at the same time. Clever is the seasoning that makes comedy all the more tasty.

Go see this show for an hour or so of absolutely delightful comedy gold.

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