Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Sashi Perera has had an interesting life. Her work as a human rights lawyer has taken her to Egypt, Tanzania, Thailand and beyond. 

But as her debut show title indicates, everything must end – including the relationship she called off three days before the wedding – and now she’s embarking on a new adventure as a stand-up comedian, with her endeavours given an early boost thanks to TikTok.

In many ways, her inexperience shows. Endings feels more like a formal talk than a relaxed stand-up show. She’s constantly signposting what the themes are, what we should feel and what the message is, rather than letting the anecdotes speak for themselves. Meanwhile, her dry delivery is careful rather than relaxed and conversational, especially in the first half.

Yet she has a winning smile and an understated charm that draws the audience in. Her first-hand stories and nuggets of trivia are always interesting, too, although she could probably eke more jokes out of her previous relationships, given that she’s made them one of the threads running through the hour.

On a few occasions, though, her stand-up moves into a higher gear, showing what she’s really capable of. There’s an hilarious routine on Buddha, which could be a perfect response for the Christian right who whinge that their religion is the only one ever up for mockery. And you know her witty description of the intelligence network of aunties in her native Sri Lanka comes from the heart.

She occasionally bursts into song covers, dropping a few brief regrets between the verses of Bad Romance, for instance. But these interludes don’t really have a place and seem contrived only for the applause break they trigger. The West End Girls parody that serves to wrap up the hour is especially undercooked, though she’s got a strong singing voice.

Yet for all the shortcomings that indicate she might have jumped into doing a solo hour too early, Perera’s delightful low-key charisma shines through. Plus her finest routines show a clear potential for her to be a strong writer with a distinctive voice. Watch this space, for this is surely the beginning of Perera’s comedy journey, not its ending.

• Sashi Perera will perform Endings at 9.15pm on Friday April 21 and Saturday April 22 at Trades Hall.

Review date: 11 Apr 2023
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett