West Australian comedian Sophie Joske wants to share her experience and knowledge of what it means to become a proper grown up. She is about to graduate from a somewhat Big Brotheresque training course on becoming an adult. And by Big Brother, I don't mean Orwell's classic novel but that horribly dull television series that I sincerely hope isn't still being made. There was something about that all-knowing, judgemental, disembodied voice.The show is broken up into various categories or modules including career, relationship, friendship and physical attractiveness. She shares with us what she has learned about becoming an adult in each of these categories with the assistance of some hand-drawn graphs and charts in a great big flip pad. Some of these are very funny in themselves – one that springs to mind is the graph of weirdness when it comes to the topic of how long the gap should be between receiving a text message and replying to it. Low-tech and simple but with plenty of charm.
As you might suspect, Sophie is not the confident adult she aspires to be, and as well as this being the source of the humour, it's also the heart of the message, which would appear to be that we should lighten up and stop wanting to be so damned responsible. That being a proper grown up is a bit over-rated. Or that inside every proper grown up, a clueless child is at the controls. Or something like that.
I think I read an interview with Sophie in which it was implied that the target audience for this show was youngish adults, people in their early 20s, the very people who should be taking a good hard look at what they are going to do with their lives. I think there are a few of us a bit older than that who will not only enjoy what she has to say for the entertainment factor, but also feel reassured that it's okay to not conform and follow external expectations. Maybe it's okay to ignore that disembodied, judgemental voice and just do what you want to do and be who you are.
This is a small, quirky production, probably not the all time funniest thing you'll ever see, but it is funny, it is intelligent, it is silly, and it has heart. The body image segment reminded me of the work of the very fine UK comedian, Julliette Burton.
2015 Melbourne Fringe Festival
Become a Functional Adult in 45 Minutes
Sophie Joske
Venue: Club Voltaire | 14 Raglan St, North Melbourne VIC
Dates: 23 – 28 Sep 2015
Tickets: $20 – $17
Bookings: www.melbournefringe.com.au