Medicated Panic Dream Girls invited us all “to rethink your overthinking, caress your regrets and reawaken your mistakes with the foolproof coping mechanism of comedy” at Mindful-mess. As my +1 has subjected me to mindfulness videos, a show that pokes fun at mindfulness, meditation and mantras appealed to both of us.
After we went in, a labrador named Celia roamed the room, soliciting pats. We wondered if she was an emotional support dog for the audience and we’re still not sure. After doing the rounds, she ended up lying down and wedging her rump between myself and my +1 for the show.
Sketch comedy is often a bit hit and miss, but I’m glad to say this show had a good “hit” ratio. The mixture of skits and songs varied a lot, keeping us guessing. Sometimes we knew where the cast were going and enjoyed the jokes along a predictable path. Other times, there was a surprising twist. From mindfulness and those gratitude lists to ghosts and Kmart helpers, they kept the pace lively, with almost no downtime between sketches. In addition to clever use of pop and rock songs that likely predated the birth of any of the performers, the show also included original songs.
Medicated Panic Dream Girls consists of Laura Buskes, Eloise Antonie, Emily Joy, Aisling McGrogan and Taylor Griffiths. If you’ve been beset by self-help gurus peddling mindfulness and by memes on gratitude and would like to see a brighter, more absurd side to them, this might be the show for you.
– Craig
Tonight, Craig Macbride is grateful that other people’s mental health misadvantures can be turned into comedy shows.
Mindful-mess runs Thu-Sun until 21 April at the Nicholas Building. Buy tickets now.
The venue is accessible.
Check out our guide to the top shows, and all of our 2019 MICF coverage.
