Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Just what we need. Another comedian talking about her ADHD…

Melanie Bracewell is well aware that lack of focus hardly makes her unique at a comedy festival – but armed with a couple of fine jokes on the topic and the light-touch approach that characterises her Everywoman stand-up, she never labours the point.

Instead, she lets her anecdotes tell their own story. On the face of it, the premise of her core tale in A Little Treat seems pretty thin, revolving around the time she presented an awards show for netball players. And what stronger signifier that a comedian is running out of things to talk about than dwelling on other gigs?

But all that is irrelevant when you’re a top-tier gag writer and as strong a storyteller as Bracewell is. She makes the dilemma of getting her car home after drinking too much at the event feel as important to us as it did to her at the time.

Even for a comic who last year turned the quest for her stolen AirPods in a delightfully twisty shaggy dog story, a whole hour based on this might be a stretch. So the affable New Zealander brings in stand-up routines on such disparate topics as being blamed for a friend’s dog devouring a chocolate muffin or going to the Dans Le Noir restaurant where you eat in the dark.

For someone talking about having a chaotic brain, the segments all fit together effortlessly, tied up with callbacks that feel organic, making the hour zip by with a real impetus.

Bracewell is the sort of stand-up you could safely recommend to anyone without knowing their tastes, And that’s not code for ‘bland’, for while her bright, accessible style makes it look easy, the show is underpinned by smart punchlines (and some dumb ones too) that prove she’s a comic on top of her craft.  Go on, give yourself A Little Treat.

Review date: 6 Apr 2025
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett