Latest Reviews

It’s generally not a good idea to believe everything you read when it comes to promotional material about a comedian. But in the case of American comic Tig Notaro you can make exception. Her MICF show blurb tells us that she “shows no fear in the face of awkward silences” and this is indeed true. If you added up all her anticipatory pauses, all the breathing space in between her sentences and her moderated pace when interacting with audience members, there would be a lot of quiet air.

She’s brilliant at orchestrating this kind of slow, languid timing, so much so that her set only covers a handful of topics (all quite benign) including the voice modulation on GPSs, LA run-ins with washed-up pop star Taylor Dayne and impressions of inanimate objects. With no overall theme to her show, her material still runs smoothly from subject to subject.

Notaro uses her deadpan voice, her stare, her sense of timing to build her rapport and she’s highly skilled at it. This ability with pacing might come from her being an actress or quite possibly be her upbringing in Mississippi where things are known to move more slowly than in the big smoke.

While she can certainly wrap a crowd around her finger – the audience was laughing from start to finish – this show felt slightly underwhelming. Its low-level dynamic throughout and some overworked conversations with audience members wore a little thin. But on a technical level, there is no denying that Notaro is a superb talent.


2011 Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Tig Notaro

Venues: Melbourne Town Hall, Powder Room | Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, Melbourne
Melbourne Town Hall,  Supper Room | Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, Melbourne
Dates: 5 – 24 April, 2011
Times: 5-10 Apr – Tue-Sat 8.15pm, Sun 7.15pm; 19-24 Apr – Tue-Sat 8.30pm, Sun 7.30pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $31 – $25
Bookings: Ticketmaster 1300 660 013 | at the door