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Caroline Rhea, of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Biggest Loser (USA) fame, is a lot of fun. She is surprisingly unassuming, her humour entertainingly puerile. Puerile, but not unsophisticated. Rhea commands the stage and her audiences’ attention. Her style is what I think of as old-school stand-up. There is no real theme (one might argue the state of being female is the theme) and she riffs effortlessly, flowing from one bit to the next with the sort of comfortable ease that makes you feel like you’re listening to your favourite Aunt, half-cut, after a heavy Christmas lunch. Your very, very funny Aunt.

Rhea, in fact, reminds me of Bill Cosby’s style of stand-up. She’s smart, self-deprecating, and a keen observer of life’s banalities, and she uses her body and the mic to enhance her material with great effect. There are no props or musical instruments, just her and her voice, and she’s fabulous.

This is Rhea’s Australian debut and I have little doubt it will endear her to Aussie audiences for some time to come. Her laid-back approach – her entrance is one of the most inconspicuous I’ve seen at a comedy festival – is surprisingly unpretentious and her willingness to make a fool of herself for her craft has Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi! stamped all over it. Her observations of Australia and Australians are very amusing, as is her willingness to concede she might just have no idea what she’s talking about; Rhea compares a five hour drive in the States to driving from Darwin to Canberra, and describes hook turns as Melbourne’s way of keeping immigration down.

Rhea’s jokes are mostly about parenthood, child-raising, sex and relationships – stuff that everyone can relate to, men included. Her take on oral sex is very, very funny (I will never look at a plunger in the same way ever again), the sketch on her boyfriend’s snoring is hysterical, and her imitation of Oprah in Africa had me wiping away tears.

Caroline Rhea may just be one of those American performers we adopt as our own. I hope we do. I’m hooked.


Melbourne International Comedy Festival in association with Gilded Balloon Poductions presents
Caroline Rhea

Venue: The Famous Spiegeltent at the Arts Centre | 100 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne (Licensed venue. Under 18s must be accompanied by a Parent or Legal Guardian.)
Dates: 31 March - 17 April, 2011
Times: Tue-Sat 7pm, Sun 6pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $33 – $25.50
Bookings: Ticketmaster 1300 660 013 | At the venue 1300 182 183 | theartscentre.com.au