Apparently, according to the insightful research of one Christopher Hichens, women don’t know how to be funny, being simply not genetically disposed to it.  So it stands to reason emcee (Mistress of ceremonies? Madam perhaps? …) Michelle A’Court wanted to call this show ‘The Christopher Hichens Memorial Women’s Comedy Showcase’.

Instantly disproving that controversial hypothesis, Michelle breaks the ice by regaling an eager tabled crowd with witty and often passively maniacal pontifications on the state of the world and it’s politics and people and so on.  She also introduces our illustrious lineup of the festival’s most celebrated local, international, young and… less young comediennes.

Local redhead Penny Ashton kicks off the guest list with what seems to be a best-of gig, doing classic bits I’d seen before over the years.  Ashton incorporates her trademark brand of clever, cynical, bawdy poetry that serves to define her comedic personality of desperate tryhard slapper.  She seemed to enjoy herself and the audience was warmly agreeable.

Next up young brit Josie Long, reviewed by Sian Robertson in her show last week Trying Is Good.  I’m glad to have had the chance to experience Long’s infectiously banal ravings of a young woman who’s put some really deep thought into some truly inane trivialities.  Her relentlessly cute and cheerful attitude is exemplified in her retort to the audience laughing at her dress sense: "Your laughing wounds my self esteem!" spoken in a bubbly, cheerful tone, almost chatty.  Truly hilarious, Long left us wanting more – both the blessing and curse of these showcase gigs is that nothing goes on for too long, but some things are over all too soon.

Final guest in the first half, Jan Maree appears as a rare treat, given the unfortunate cancellation of her scheduled show next week due to personal matters.  Maree is in typical form, perhaps more noticeably than most keeping her famous potty mouth mostly subdued due to the sponsor’s brief to avoid swearing.  Still, she keeps a happy crowd high with a lighthearted central theme of working with children, which she admits might seem scary to some parents whom she reassures with "It’s all right, they’re underprivileged so they won’t be any of yours!"  I laughed my privileged head off.

Second half. Michelle A’Court gets us back on track with some analysis of the women’s libido / sense of humour connection ("we laugh, we get horny, then we laugh again").  Then along comes the Pacific Island Princess Irene Pink, proud of the glamorous title even though it sounds a bit like a cruise liner.  A mountain of natural wit, Pink is not shy about extracting mirth from subjects like her size, her sexuality, her culture, what drugs she’s on ("anyone else on the P tonight?  …only 3 more sleeps ’til Christmas!").  Again, hilarious.

Next up Rose Matafeo comes direct from teen comedy showcase Class Comedians, and also appearing in this weeks Ad-LOL-escents at the Classic Basement.  Rose has just turned 16 years old apparently, although given her self-assurance and mature demeanor it wouldn’t surprise me if that was just part of the setup.  Matafeo’s fresh style and charming anecdotes mainly based on her childhood make her comparative lack of life experience a non-obstacle.  Not only is she the classiest and most sophisticated comedian I’ve seen in her age group, male or female, she’s got a darn sight more star quality than some of the hacks twice her age.

More class follows as the chic Diane Spencer spends her whole ten minutes earnestly sharing with us the singular tortured tale of her encounter with a chain-email. Her manic, paranoid, hyperanalytical ranting reminds me of that other paragon of tangental comedy bordering on the supernatural, Te Radar… except he’s a bloke of course, and (therefore?) not as classy or attractive.  In any case, Spencer’s refreshingly original piece was a highlight  and I’m keen to see more of her work in the future.

The final guest is longtime Scottish darling to the NZ Comedy Fest Janey Godley, who I’ll not talk too much about here since I’m reviewing her show Tell It Like It Is tonight (Tuesday).  Suffice to say she’s a large Scots woman with a pure talent for infecting crowds with laughter and based on her Diva spot I would wholeheartedly recommend anyone see it.

The whole show ran well over two hours which can be a bad thing but in this case was a delightfully good thing.  When experiencing such a concentration of oestrogen-driven humour I can’t help contemplating an issue which has previously arisen on this website:  Do our local female comedy artists sell themselves out with degrading routines just to have a hope for some attention in this male dominated arena? 

Judging by tonight’s class act I have to say not at all; quite the opposite.  I question the perception of people who find it degrading when women cover the same ‘gutteral’, scatological and sexual topics that have been the mainstay of men’s comedy for decades or more.  Do we still expect women to be cleaner, more pure and less vulgar than men in this day and age?  The sponsor appears to, with the restriction on swearing and all.  But that’s what these fine ladies are here for: to demolish any remnant of such absurd expectations once and for all. 

Viva la Divas!

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