Josie Long has returned to Melbourne in superb form, Cara Josephine best filed amongst the festival’s recommended feel-good shows.
Long reflects on the heartbreak that defined a summer, her shining optimism having taken a serious hit. It’s a simple enough premise, but deceptively difficult to execute well. Cara Josephine gets the balance right, though: the show is neither a tale of jubilation, nor a woe-is-me post-mortem. Instead, it simply revolves around the crushingly relatable struggle to reclaim a part of oneself post-breakup and the measures we take push our way through the hurt to return to our very best. Long is perfectly candid about the kinds of adversities she has faced, which is a major strength of the show. In fact, she seems to enjoy laying bare her soul-searching journey: there’s an irrepressible glee about her performance, Long ever-animated and seemingly relishing her every second on stage. Her bubbly enthusiasm is infectious from the outset.
Cara Josephine brings a carousel of characters and voices, the odd dash of silliness and you can expect a little filth here and there, too. It’s a credit to Long that she continues to push herself as a performer, shattering her mystique and discussing sex for the first time on stage. You can expect a couple of hilarious yet cringe-inducing visuals to stay with you long after the show has ended. Speaking of endings, though, Cara Josephine is another show this festival that has a few false finishes. Long appears to end on a high before embarking on other tangents, motoring straight past the perfect off-ramp.
By the time the finale rolls around, though, your grin is fixed and you’re hanging off every word. Throughout Cara Josephine, Long regularly pecks her knuckles and flexes a double cobra in triumph, a gesture synonymous with the show itself. It’s a strong hour of comedy and a go-to exhibition of stand-up this festival.
BY NICK MASON
