Sydney Fringe Best Comedy nominee Kelly Mac presents a show for lovers of pinot noir and elasticised waists, at Fringe World in Perth.
'Wrong Side Of 50' by the new-on-the-scene stand-up comedian is her first solo show, and this is its Fringe premiere.
Kelly cut her comedy chops on breakfast radio and has performed with her comedy troupe Take 3 in Melbourne and Adelaide Fringe festivals.
Then, in 2021, she entered the producer space by founding Top Dog Comedy. It's a monthly comedy room in Brisbane, with a vision for giving a platform to emerging comedians as well as a place to see established comedians.
Kelly Mac's solo show explores all the ins and outs of middle-age life. Here, she chats about the show and the world of stand-up comedy.
You’re relatively new to stand-up, entering the scene in 2020 of all years. What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned about the craft over the last few years?
Timing is everything, and that’s coming from someone who entered the live performance scene a month before the lockdowns. And, of course, stand-up is like everything else – it’s harder than it looks! Being the life of the party is no predictor for how material will work on stage. Consequently, I have a newfound respect for my stand-up colleagues (especially the ones who’ve mastered social media marketing. I have a voodoo doll in the shape of Mark Zuckerberg). Contrary to what many might think – and I’m talking directly to the Mandarins in the funding bodies here – stand-up comedy is an art, and it deserves to be recognised as such. Finally, you have to be match fit, which means gig after gig after gig. And then more gigs. If you wake up in the morning automatically reaching for a mic, you’re probably doing the right amount.
And what will you be bringing to Perth audiences?
A healthy dose of sass and nostalgia from the perspective of a cynical Gen Xer. I tell jokes and stories. If you’re after inspiration, there are some great TED talks I can recommend. And, dare I say, a great night out?
What made you decide to put a show together with these themes?
Being my first solo show, I’d say the themes are a blend of doing what I know best combined with stuff I’ve always wanted to say. There’s a subtle sense of injustice through my work; I have a legal background, so it’s probably no coincidence that I like highlighting societal inequities and stupidities. Now that I’m getting all that out of my system, I think the next show will focus on TV and film. I’d love to look like Daenerys Targaryen on the poster, but suspect it’ll end up more Lady Tyrell. Or possibly Walder Frey.
Image © Monica Pronk Photography
How would you describe your style of comedy to newcomers?
At the risk of sounding like a tagline for 'Transformers', my style is ‘something more than meets the eye’. (By the way, I can recite the entire “We need air support and we need it now” speech, usually when I’m stuck in holiday traffic. “Roll in Strike Package Bravo on unknown target.”) I guess my style is best described as bawdy and inciteful. I refuse to bow to the pressure on female comedians to be ‘inspirational’ or constantly crap on about our kids and relationships. The kids and the husband might get a mention, but I don’t box myself in. I could be talking about lions escaping from Taronga Zoo one minute and the plight of being an Australian senior the next. I touchingly call that last bit, 'Boomer Parents who refuse to die'. I’m proud to say that it was the subject of my first official complaint (from a senator no less!), and probably had something to do with my nomination for Best Comedy at last year’s Sydney Fringe.
How are you hoping Fringe World audiences respond to what you’ve put together?
Dare I say, to buy tickets to see it? And then go home and tell all their friends to buy tickets. I’m only half-joking. I’m an emerging comedian setting foot in WA for the first time, so I’m under no illusions. Fringes are about seeing new artists and/or new work, and since I tick both boxes, my hope is that audiences will leave feeling they’ve had a top night out seeing something a little unexpected. Tributes in the form of home-cooked meals will be gratefully accepted, but only from the men. The women can just point me in the direction of the nearest City Chic outlet.
What’s the biggest perk about middle-age life?
Floating. It’s so much easier thanks to my spare tyre. Every body of water is now my personal Dead Sea. It’s impossible for me to drown.
How about the most overrated aspect of it?
Wisdom. Trust me when I say that middle-aged people are still the same idiots on the inside. It doesn’t stop the young folk from giving us the hard-sell on wisdom. Exhibit A: I recently went to the skin doctor to get an errant mole – or what I thought was a mole – removed from my back. Turns out it wasn’t a mole, but a barnacle. I kid you not. A barnacle, and I’m using the precise terminology here. As this mid-30ish doc is freezing it off he says, “This is the price you pay for wisdom.” Screw wisdom. I want a back that looks like a back, not the keel of the Black Pearl.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone about to enter the ‘middle-age’ phase of life?
And now we move into the ‘life coach’ aspect of the Q&A! I’ll give you four:
1. Get right with ageing and have fun with it. If we’re lucky, we get two decades as adults, tops, where we look and feel great. We’re not supposed to look like 30-year-olds when we’re 50. . . Although with my body hair migrating to my nether regions, I do feel a '90s resurgence.
2. Don’t compare yourself or where you are in life to anyone else. If you’re into comparisons, just compare yourself to you, whether it’s you last year or you from last week.
3. We tend to act like we’ll run out of money tomorrow but have all the time in the world, when actually the opposite is true. Time is our greatest and most finite resource. So, if there are things you need to tidy up in your life, pick one and hit it!
4. Do things that take you out of your comfort zone. For me it’s stand-up and learning French. I did take a stab at Klingon, but I don’t produce enough saliva to do the language justice.
Describe this show using any song lyric you’d like.
“The people have the power to redeem the work of fools”. A line from possibly Patti Smith’s most under-rated song, 'People Have The Power'. If ever these words were true, just take a look at our last federal election. (The two party system is dead! Long live the three party system!) But that’s about as political as I get. Where my show is concerned, I’m clearly the fool and the audience, the people. When I get someone telling me after the show, “Hey, your bit about trigger warnings hit me where I lived,” I know I’ve done my job. That, and unbridled laughter every ten seconds.
Kelly Mac plays The Wembley Hotel 10-11 February and Civil Court at The Old Courthouse 7,8,12 February (Fringe World).
