Olga Koch breezes by the queue for her own show, thanking us for coming, which prepares us for the fact that she doesn’t sound Russian (she went to uni in New York and is currently London-based).
“Melbourne, are you ready for a vibe shift!?” she hollers, starting a vigorous clap-along to welcome herself to the stage.
Koch pretends audience members have asked questions, repeating these before extolling, “Great question, I’m so glad you asked!” and then answering each one at length.
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Sims, Reddit, Jeffrey Epstein, Liza Minnelli, carbon offsetting – not knowing where Koch’s observational comedy will take us is thrilling. Her perky, joyful delivery is infectious.
Koch grew up rich thanks to her “oligarch-adjacent” father, but hasn’t accepted any money from her parents for the past 11 years (“a couple of holidays and a flat” were accepted, however). She can be crass, has an abundance of sass and having spent time in Russia, America and England (“home of the class system”) informs Koch’s unique perspective on how wealth is defined and measured – particularly in those three countries.
So did Koch deliberately clog-up upwards of three yacht toilets “as an act of political protest”, as claimed during Comes From Money? We’re tipping, yes.
“I don’t want money to be a reason you don’t see a show about money” – post-show, Koch encourages us to tell any mates who can’t afford tickets to slide into her DMs for freebies.
Pre-show choons: Avicii, Lady Aqua’s Hello (I Just Came To Say Hello) and other tunes from “the rise of the electronic dance music movement on pop radio” (which coincided with Koch’s New York university era).
Best bit: “In England, I’m hot” – responding to the question: Why did you move from New York to London?
Sidenote: This show’s promo pic surely wins Best Of The Fest.
Olga Koch Comes From Money plays at Melb Town Hall’s Backstage Room until 20 April.
