Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Many conversational comedians give the impression they want to be your friend. Prue Blake doesn’t.

She’s over the whole friendship thing, describing it as ‘like a marathon – pointless and no one cares’, and instead seeks nothing more treasured acquaintances. It’s a wryly amusing stance and a loose enough container for all the anecdotes in her debut Melbourne show – as well as allowing for a little self-reflection to enter the mix.

She tells us of her relationship with her mum, of not being the cool kid at school, of taking a relationship break-up so hard she fled to Europe the very next day, of travelling with a mate to Turkey and having an embarrassing incident  in the traditional baths. Many tales are set in high school, where friendship status is everything.

They are all relatable stories, nicely told. For a newbie, Blake has a natural poise and relaxed charm that audiences instinctively warm to. In fact, you so enjoy her company it takes a while to notice that there’s actually not that much to these anecdotes.

In a festival full of embarrassing stories, hers often seem slight. Which means they rarely  evoke great laughs, but an enjoyable warm glow of recognition or empathy.

For example. the marathon analogy takes a sizeable set-up as she describes an idiosyncratic, and virtually impossible, ultra-event in America. It’s diverting and interesting, but also quite throwaway. Her show-ended callback and its set-up don’t seem to have a natural place in the show either. It’s a funny image, but also feels more like an artifice rather than a nature conclusion.

When talking about her encounters with other people, she self-effacingly ponders: ‘Am I 40 minutes of alright anecdotes?’, which would be a harsh verdict. But there is the feeling the stories require a bit more oomph and attitude to elevate them above the merely pleasant. The ‘I don’t want friends’ line never seems quite as misanthropic as promised.

Ironically, of course, you are likely to emerge from this wanting to hang out with Blake. She’d be the first to tell you not to… but do you believe her?

Review date: 21 Apr 2023
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival