Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Former Neighbours actress Morgana O’Reilly makes her comedy festival debut with a slightly theatrical stand-up monologue about how she overcame teenage anxieties about her body to celebrate it for the baby-producing miracle it is.

Her journey from embarrassment to acceptance will resonate widely, and Stories About My Body is an uplifting take on the topic. Certainly, her 36-year-old body is an asset when it comes to this animated performance – especially her hugely expressive face.

The New Zealander’s frankness is disarming, and although this is not as casual and conversational as a stand-up set, she performs her polished script with dynamism and warmth.

Angsty teenage diary entries from 1998 illuminate her myriad insecurities from the time, right down to being worried about the shape of her nose. From the distance of time she considers how silly all that was, now she’s able to raise a salute to her boobs and a vagina that has created two more bodies. It’s even made a penis, as she gleefully points out.

A sub-plot takes us back to when she was struggling to find work in New York City. Desperate for money, she found herself drawn into the world of foot fetishists, where she could be well-rewarded for letting men indulge their peculiar peccadilloes – no ‘funny business’, mind. O’Reilly offers a revealing, fascinating,  non-judgmental glimpse into this sub-culture.

Like every other part of this show, the tone is witty, sincere and cheerful. Not aching-sides hilarious, perhaps, but an affecting, optimistic hour about going easy on yourself.

• Morgana O’Reilly: Stories About My Body is on at the Malthouse Theatre at various times until April 24.

Review date: 15 Apr 2022
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival