Life Lessons with Michelle and Gemma
13 April 2014
ACMI Game Cube
to 20 April
comedyfestival.com.au
OMG, there's a packet of Pop Rocks in my handbag!
One mouthful. Here I go. I was eight the last time I had them.
Weird and eww!
Just because something is offered (and free), you don't have to put it in your mouth. I should know that because Michelle and Gemma implied this life lesson in Life Lessons with Michelle and Gemma. It was a lesson based on a tin of condensed milk (or maybe one about dating), but the lesson is the same. At least I listened to the one about not snorting them.
Life Lessons is much more enjoyable than eating pop rocks. It's more like a big bag of mixed lollies that includes sherbet and posh-chocolate freckles and lolly teeth. Lolly teeth are ALWAYS funny.
Gemma and Michelle are best friends, even though Michelle likes green and dogs while Gemma likes purple and cats. Having been friends forever, they know each other's faults and have learnt from each other's mistakes and know that the world will be better if they share what they know.
Avoid confrontation and colour coding start us off (being a failure in both, I have to agree), but life isn't so simple and as secrets are told or blurted, the unbreakable friendship is in danger.
With director Karin Muiznieks ensuring structure and keeping an eye on the big picture, the woman are free to play with character and enjoy playing with the audience. There's room to go a bit darker (but that could just be me being a cynical bitch) and to work on the straight/funny tropes and their changing status, but that will come as the show develops. Which I hope it will because I want to see Michelle and Gemma learning more lessons, going on holiday, making a cooking show and continuing to share what they've learnt for years to come.
In the meantime, Life Lessons is fun and gorgeous and explains how platonic spooning will never work and why you should never consider dating a rapper who can't spell.
