Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Possessor of one of the sharpest minds in Australian comedy, Alice Fraser has, moved away from the high-concept premises of some of her former shows for the simple story of a train journey. Or so it first appears

It is early 2020, just as a certain novel coronavirus is increasingly dominating the news, and the procrastinating comic is en route from London to Glasgow for the first preview of a show she hasn’t written yet. Seeking inspiration, she looks around her fellow passengers and starts describing them, from the Instagrammer to the lads, lads, lads, and over the 350-mile journey, this hour of stand-up emerges. 

There should probably be a big ‘allegedly’ scrawled in front of that, however, for Chronos is a thoughtful treatise of such scope and depth that it’s hard to believe that it was knocked out so quickly. 

But for all the ambition that hallmarks her work, Fraser is confident enough in her intelligence to wear it lightly. The reference points are relatable and relevant, yet she builds the various routines, on anything from technology to the sense of self, upwards and outwards until they form a network of tightly linked ideas and metaphors that illuminate the state of the world and her place in it. 

The notion of time, which gives the show its title, is but one thread, inspired by Fraser’s propensity to take on way too many commitments – hence working so tightly to a deadline. As the story unfolds, she goes back in time to recall her inspirational mother - previously the subject of her breakout show Savage – to explain that trait, as well as sparking thoughts about parental roles and responsibilities. 

Fraser’s workload includes working on Andy Zaltzman’s topical podcast The Bugle and its spin-off The Gargle, which she hosts, as well as working on the scripts for BBC Radio 4’s rejuvenated News Quiz. So she knows her way around satire, as well as the big social and philosophical issues – although these subjects emerge naturally from her engaging personal story, not from the abstract.

More crucially, she knows how to inject some silly into all this, so the hour, while full of food for thought, is also rich with delightful jokes, both literate and playful, usually both at the same time. And they are told with such authentic optimism and gregarious geniality to further conceal their intellectual heft. 

She charms the criminally small audience from the moment they walk in, as she sits on the stage shooting the breeze until we’re ready to begin. And once we’re off, her brain moves faster than that express train, unconstrained by rails, and offering an impressive view as her ideas whip by as we hurtle towards the satisfying destination. Get on board!

• Alice Fraser: Chronos is at the Greek Centre at 8.40pm until April 24th (7.40pm on Sundays, no show Monday)

Review date: 12 Apr 2022
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival