Accurately described (in their own scripted introduction) as 'national treasures', Judith Lucy and Denise Scott are back with post-COVID tales aplenty and it was a joy to see these wonderful, witty women stride around the stage for their new show, 'Still Here’.
Scotty and Jude are the Aussie comedy royalty that Melbourne audiences deserve after the past two years of ongoing, dragging, repetitive lockdowns – and they continually remind you of that, both subtly and not so subtly throughout their 70 minutes on stage. Considering the aversion that most of us have for talking about COVID after all we’ve been through, it was pleasantly surprising to sit in a crowd and spend a whole show gleefully laughing along to jokes entirely about lockdown. The premise of 'Still Here' – part play, part stand-up, full frivolity – is that Judith and Denise are in lockdown together, musing on how they navigate life in this brave new world and wondering if their vindaloo from UberEats will ever arrive.
While other comedians across the festival are rightly and fairly avoiding COVID material like the plague, so as not to harp on about a topic we’re all sick of, Scotty and Jude lean right on in. And for them, in ways it wouldn’t for others, it absolutely works. The audience trust these two performers, a trust that can only come from the years of experience in making audiences across the country laugh with delight. The markedly older crowd were willing to go along with everything that Scotty and Jude threw their way, even when the comedians were actively heckling and harassing the audience with wicked abandon!
A fully fleshed out and well-rounded show, you’re certainly getting an Arts Centre level production when you get your hands on tickets to this show – a slick and fun production from two of Australia’s favourites. This isn’t a show that breaks new ground or challenges your perception of what a comedy show is, it’s a nice, palatable, endlessly enjoyable production that just has you happily grinning the full way through.
True legends of Aussie comedy, Judith Lucy and Denise Scott are certainly worth seeing while they’re 'Still Here'.
