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Mother of the Year pits three female comics against each other in a maternal showdown of the stand up kind. Really it’s just an excuse for Nelly Thomas, Catherine Deveny and Christine Basil to share a bill, each presenting 20 minutes of material.

As the title suggests, the show’s topic is of the family kind and best enjoyed by people with children. Thomas starts things off by focusing on babies and all the trimmings – mothers’ groups, the pain of birth, maternity leave and her lack of personal time. She has some funny material, and her presentation is easy-going and conversational. The only low point is a mime finale depicting giving birth.

Up next is Deveny. Probably best known for her sharp-tongued column in The Age, Deveney’s style is more aggressive and, as would be expected, she’s fairly caustic. Mothers with big prams, bogan mothers, bragging parents, over-indulgent parents – no one is spared her critique. She has three sons (6, 7 and 11) and they get attention as well. Some of the material is straight out of her recent columns, so doesn’t feel that fresh, but judging from the crowd’s response, she’s the draw card of this triple bill.

For me though, it was third contender Basil who won the comic showdown. With a 19 and 22 year old, she’s the veteran in both the stand up and mothering departments. Perched on a chair, she delivered a relaxed and well-paced set that ran the gamut of family stories to mid-life womanhood.

Mother of the Year traverses well-worn subjects and is not exactly treading new ground, but it’s an entertaining enough hour and with three different comics holding the stage there’s enough variety to keep the show engaging. 


Red Wall presents
Mother of the Year
Featuring Nelly Thomas, Christine Basil & Catherine Deveny

Venue: Melb Town Hall - Supper Room | Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, Melbourne
Dates: 4 - 26 April
Times: Sat 6pm, Sun 5pm & Cry Baby Session Sat 18 3pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: Full $25, Concession $22, All Tix Sat $28, Cry Baby (Sat 18 3pm) $23
Bookings: Ticketmaster 1300 660 013 | at the door