Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

It’s not exactly the heaviest burden anyone’s had to bear, but Alex Ward has been saddled with an air of approachability. By her account, she looks as if she works in every building she’s ever been in, and is constantly being asked for help and directions. What’s more, she’s happy to oblige. 

As if to prove her point, an older couple in Ward’s audience tonight are quite happy to ask her for the full details about what eating pineapple is rumoured to do in a sexual context. And yes, she does explain.

Underpinning the show is the question of whether being amenable is always such a positive trait. The 34-year-old asked herself that when she feels reluctant to come out as gay to a neighbour she expects to be conservative and disapproving. What’s holding her back from asserting something as basic as her sexuality?

This consideration gives the hour a crux, but not much of one. Especially when she reveals she is quite willing to stand up against homophobia in other instances, telling of an altercation in a Brisbane restaurant that ended not so much badly, as weirdly.

The encounter with her delightfully peculiar neighbour is only given slightly more prominence than the other stand-up routines that comprise the show, covering the likes of outdoor gyms, cheap motels, playing to cruise ship audiences far from her normal demographic, and her Boomer mum’s friend obsessed with lorikeet-motiffed houseware.

They would all work as  standalone routines, but segued smoothly together, with the occasional subtle callback to reinforce the idea that this is one cohesive show. 

On stage, Ward is as affable and easy-going a presence as you would expect from someone talking repeatedly about how approachable they are. Ask for a solid, unshowy hour of entertaining and relatable  stand-up – and, guess what?, she’ll oblige…

Review date: 8 Apr 2025
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett