Both a veteran and emerging artist in the world of stand up comedy, Denise Scott has been performing for over 30 years, accumulating her fans show-by-show.
Both a veteran and emerging artist in the world of stand up comedy, Denise Scott has been performing for over 30 years, accumulating her fans show-by-show. It’s only in recent times has she has obtained the status she deserves, possibly due to her exposure on shows such as The 7PM Project, Talkin’ ‘bout Your Generation and Spicks and Specks. All these years of experience are evident on stage; this woman has literally got her act together. Scott almost pulled a full house, which is not bad for a preview show in the MICF.
A large portion of the audience seemed to be of similar age to Scott—perhaps it’s thought that she offers more relatable humour for this demographic than some of the younger up-and-comers in the festival. But for a Gen Y audience member, seeing Scott is a bit like listening to your friend’s mother ramble on for an hour: still funny, just in a different way. After assuring the audience about ten times over that she’s not an alcoholic, even though many of of her stories revolve around being dunk, she takes them on a of regrets.
Life as a comedienne dictates that offending people is almost unavoidable. Hence, the first regret of the evening that Scott shares with us is one that seems quite serious. “Well I don’t actually regret [offending people],” she quips “but it’s good to talk about, isn’t it?”
Scott shares us the joys of growing up in Melbourne’s north-eastern suburbs, and all the regrets that come from not sleeping with that boy in high school when she had the chance, to not learning to play to ukulele.
And so beholds an evening of cringe-worthy moments that Scott is far from too proud to share. The harsh reality of a hangover when you’re in your mid fifties, scrunch perms, losing your virginity, peeing your pants and vomiting in public, to name a few. And she even manages to squeeze in a joke about Guy Sebastion’s head, all in the space of an hour.
Minimal audience participation is a relief for many potential show-goers, but for those targeted, Scott is unwilling to relent. But it’s the raw honesty of this show is what makes it memorable: it’s polished without feeling too rehearsed. For an evening packed with of laugh-out-loud moments from start to finish, people of all ages will enjoy the mother figure of comedy. She’s far from daggy.
