Sometimes preview double bills are a fun yet odd combo of different artistic ideas and comedic styles that are both brilliant in their own right. But sometimes you get a combo so perfectly thematically linked and progressive that we couldn’t have a better bill if we tried.
July 1st was that for us, with the brilliant debut hour from Eddie French and Katie Mitchell’s triumph of comedic performance art being perfect companion pieces.
Both shows cover themes of identity, self-acceptance, and belonging in alternative subcultural groups – but from wildly different perspectives and angles. They had wildly different joke telling styles, so it never felt like it overstayed its welcome. In fact, after the show there was a cohesive arc from two very different yet similar stories.
Starting with Eddie French’s show: Poser. Poser showcases all of Eddie’s strength as a comic: their razor-sharp wit and improvisational playfulness, their penchant for niche references and jokes, and a dry yet earnest outlook on gender, social and subcultural identity from the point of view of an aging punk nerd that really speaks to the heart of all of our regulars and supporters at Blizzard Comedy.
Poser has a self-awareness of their own place in their subcultural hierarchy. Eddie pokes fun at both the generations of punk before them, after them, and especially their own generation. It also encapsulates an older non-binary perspective on gender and sexuality stereotypes, as well as a hugely affectionate ribbing of nerd culture.
As a performer, Eddie is a hugely engaging showthem, combining whimsy, cynicism, and genuinely profound musings on the very core of identity and its intersection with social life. It seems too obvious a pick to compare them to Suzy Izzard, but there’s certainly an air of that to their performance, although with hints of Jack Dee and early Bill Bailey as well. Basically, Eddie brings the best parts of ’90s stand-up to the modern day, moving with the times but retaining the vibes of that golden ages which makes Eddie a somewhat timeless comedic presence (if you ignore all the era specific references) enjoyable by several different age demographics. They’re also informative enough that, even if you’re not a genderqueer nerd punk, there is a lot of just raw comic talent and prolific comedy craft to make this a brilliant show no matter what your experience of knowledge with the source material.
Then we had Katie’s Wretched, which is a delightful concoction of hilarious and artful creative genius from one of the most unique acts working on the circuit today.
Not many comics live-score their own stand-up hours with clarinet music, but that just goes to show the level Katie is working on.
I don’t want to go into too much detail on the specific content of the show, as this is such an emotive and moving and personal tale that I think only Katie can do justice, and you absolutely need to go see in person if you can.
But Katie’s erratic stand-up style of dark whimsy is full on show here, flipping between more traditionally told comedic anecdotes, alternative jokes and routines, and surreal skits involving bizarre takes on historical figures in character pieces. All of it blends together to create a dynamic hour of stand-up that pushes artistic boundaries as much as just comedy, and tells an intensely personal story of navigating gothic and alternative subcultures as a woman, self-discovery of sexuality, and surviving physical and emotional domestic abuse.
Wretched is one of the most memorable stand-up hours I’ve ever seen, a show that has me both crying with laughter and emotion at the appropriate beats, and the ending has stuck with me long after first watching. Again, I won’t spoil anything, but Wretched is award-winning levels of brilliance. If you only watch one stand-up hour in your life, make it this one. (If you watch several, also make this one of them, but that’s not as enticing a pull quote, so shh.)
Two incredible shows from two of the most exciting performers on the circuit today, and both are well worth your time to check out if and when they are in a town near you.
We have one more set of previews this year on June 22nd with Leslie Ewing-Burgesse and Jain Edwards, and also tickets to the rest of our upcoming shows are available to book here.
