review: recreation and leisure
On Saturday, the 22nd of April, I left the house to see my
first real comedy show. I took a friend who is a seasoned comedy show watcher along with me, and headed out for a night of unexpected pleasures.
PO PO MO CO, shortened from Post Post Modern Comedy, is a queer acting troupe. To say they were funny would be an understatement. Myself, my friend and the other audience members laughed throughout, at times uncontrollably. My emotions went on a journey from apprehension to worry, fear, then delight, and by the end I was enthralled.
The show consisted of a series of skits, all very subtly commenting on everyday queer issues, societal issues, and a general feel of breaking the rules. They were humiliatingly identifiable, quirky and downright blunt. It was a beautiful combination of things we’re not supposed to see but really need to see, mixed in as a comedy show that constantly surprised me.
One of my favourite parts of the show was the use of bum jokes. Although bum jokes tend to be a relatively common thing, I’ve never found them that funny, and sometimes they are wholly distasteful. But in this show, they were done well. The first time we see the ‘bums’ is in a re-enactment of a scene from a Bold and the Beautiful style show. Three of the cast come out, dressed in formal, posh-looking clothing and they pose. Then three people in ‘butler style’ suits come out and stand behind them. They turn around, drop some material, and there are three bums, all lined up, all dressed up like faces, with the other people’s arms poking out from behind them. They then proceed to use the bums as characters, in a hilarious mock of what was meant to be a serious scene. For a bum joke, this was highly enjoyable. Each time the bums came out I was giggling away, trying really hard to find the most appropriate place to look.
I only have one criticism to give, and I say this knowing that it comes from a personal place and I was probably only one of the only people affected by it. There were several instances of the ‘host’ assuming the gender of audience members. Although it was done in a way that was quite funny, as a non-binary person I felt slightly isolated by this. I was very anxious that the host would pick me and I wouldn’t be sure what to say. Although it was confronting, if this was a character decision made specifically to comment on society, it was funny and I applaud them for that. Regardless, whatever their intention was, I do think it should be looked at and made clearer in future performances.
Besides that, I really enjoyed the references to Australian culture. This included a skit of two people dressed in netball gear, one having a crush on the other, and the depiction of her intense and awkward desire to be with her. There was also a straight couple from 80’s offering food and drinks to the audience. The first encounter we had with them was when the ‘wife’ came up and offered “wine and cheese” and the ‘husband’ followed her offering the same thing as “coon and goon”. The typical Australian accent he put on created a hilarity that my friend and I couldn’t resist. After he had moved on to other audience members, we were still laughing every time we heard him say it. And we are still quoting him an entire week later!
Overall, the show was hilarious and I had a great night. I loved all the characters, the stories and the cast. It was a magical night, and I’m so glad I went to see it. I’m going to be looking out for more work from PO PO MO CO in the future and I’m really excited to see what they create next.
