Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Mish Wittrup considers her first solo show to be theatre rather than stand-up, although it’s only the opening device that makes it anything but the latter. 

In a cafe, a stranger offers to buy her a coffee – which sparks a 55-minute rundown of her insecurities, vulnerabilities, past relationships and flings as she considers whether to make herself available to this guy.

Oversharing is the watchword as she downloads, sometimes graphically, about everything from her nipples to the awful one-night stands which made her feel at least briefly validated after so many years of being made to feel inadequate. In an extended analogy, she describes herself as always wanting to be one of the Spice Girls but forever being sidelined as the manager, a lesser status she feels was thrust upon her because she was never thin.

Wittrup is a mesmerising performer with the presence to have the audience hanging on her every disarmingly frank word. She is comfortable enough to let the silence hang in the air each time she recounts a cruel incident that made her feel unvalued – of which there are many. 

The stillness is always punctured with a joke, but with so many such moments ultimately there’s more compassion than laughs, a drawback for a comedy show. Yet she remains upbeat and witty as she describes all life has thrown at her and the bad decisions she’s made in response – a story which strikes a strong chord with her audience. 

• Mish Wittrup: Soy Fat White is at Campari House at 6pm until April 24.

Review date: 20 Apr 2022
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival