Of course, it’s 2024, and so it seemed obvious that the only appropriate song for Effie to emerge on to the Fairfax Studio stage at Arts Centre Melbourne to, would be 'Flowers' by Miley Cyrus.
The modern-day anthem of self-love and adoration was the perfect match for the jubilantly self-obsessed Effie that the crowd has known and loved for over 30 years. Impressing from the get-go, Effie, the alter ego of beloved actress Mary Coustas, showed that she still has the moves as she hilariously danced her way across the stage in heels, somehow managing to stay balanced and upright despite the signature Effie sky-high hairdo that could easily have been a total hazard.
The incredibly warm crowd welcomed their icon with wild whoops and applause, and raucously laughed as Effie greeted them with some of her signature catch phrases. The show was loosely based on the premise of countering contemporary political correctness and woke culture, the type of which stands at odds with the very concept that the character of Effie was built on all those years ago. It seemed like an intriguing concept to explore; the cultural and comedic landscape has changed dramatically since 'Acropolis Now' – the television show that brought Effie to the attention of many across the country – was on our screens; could a character from that time be the one to break down the overwhelming awkwardness that those who loved her feel about the current ‘woke agenda’? The short answer is no – the attempts to unpack the current cultural nuances around identity politics didn’t exactly hit the mark – and perhaps I’m coming at this as one of the youngest members of the packed-out audience, but every time the jokes got a little close to trying to ‘make a point’, it felt as if audience members across the board tightened up just a little.
When Effie allowed herself to just be her brilliant Effie self, the laughter was unbridled. While there were moments of gold and hilarity as she explored and attempted to unpack political correctness, unfortunately that material didn’t feel entirely polished, or if it was certain of the direction it was attempting to take. Performing to a crowd of fans who have loved her for years, who all had a few years on me, I felt like perhaps there was a bit of pandering to the ‘political correctness gone mad’ approach, rather than attempting to make everyone feel more comfortable about identity – which I think was the slightly messy point.
But the crowd truly did love Effie when she relaxed into Effie madness – comfortably losing it and at times aching with laughter at jokes based on stereotypes – exactly what we had come for. Moments of gold and delight came when she interacted with the crowd, showing incredible skill and wit to quickly spin jokes out of their banter. This part of the show also showed how much love the audience have for the gorgeous character of Effie.
Effie is a gorgeous testament to the kind of comedy that Aussies have loved for years. 'UpYourselfness' demonstrated that there is without a doubt still a place for the kind of comedy that Effie delivers and that sometimes comedy can just be funny – it doesn’t need to change the world, and often it can be best when it doesn’t try to.
