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And That Was the Summer That Changed My Life, revolves around the single most memorable moment in Zoe Coombs Marr’s life so far – performing all the solos in the Westside Story medley at band camp when she was 13. Given that that was 14 years ago, it would seem that her life has been downhill ever since.

In fact, it's the contrary. She has matured since 1997 (or so she’d like us to believe.) She embraced her inner geek, declared her lesbianism and ramped up her general self-confidence, although she still seems highly prone to embarrassing and awkward moments.

Starting out as a school assembly speech – complete with podium and school flag, the show moves into stand-up comedy peppered with musical interludes. Overall, Coombs Marr has good material and she creates a cohesive hour despite the various presentation styles. There’s method in the madness (quite amazingly, it's thematically united by a nosebleed) and her jokes about female classmates, her priest father, growing up in country New South Wales and a hilarious love poem derived from dinosaur names are all on the money. The humour will probably mostly appeal to twenty and thirty-somethings for whom the humiliations and small victories of high school still linger in the mind.

The show is weakest when Coombs Marr seems like she is forcing vulgarity. She's more believable as the bumbling, disheveled nerd than the potty-mouthed challenger, especially in light of her feel good, musical ending.

Just like a graduation day, And That Was the Summer That Changed My Life bristles with promise. Keep your eyes out for Coombs Marr, as her left-of-centre sensibility combined with her brainy clumsiness is a treasure trove of potential. Let’s just hope she doesn’t become too slick an act because it's her witty uncool that makes her special.

2011 Melbourne International Comedy Festival
And That Was The Summer That Changed My Life
Zoe Coombs Marr

Venue: Melbourne Town Hall, Lunch Room | Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, Melbourne
Dates: 31 March – 24 April, 2011
Times: Tue-Sat 6pm, Sun 5pm
Duration: 55 minutes
Tickets: $20 – $15
Bookings: Ticketmaster 1300 660 013