Boy did I need a laugh, and so did my plus one – my daughter, and another plus, a male friend. After the hellish year. Melbourne has opened its doors to this year’s comedy festival and I was excited to see Sarah Nicolazzo’s show, “Wailing Sarah Apology Tour” at Campari House in Melbourne’s iconic Hardware Lane, written and produced by Sarah Nicolazzo and Phil Speers.
Thank you, Sarah! Finally, some southern-European female blood kicking goals on stage. But not in the typical “wog” comedy way that degrades women and keeps us behind the kitchen sink. Sarah sits in the ranks of a few women in this space trying – pushing – to move things forward, not winding things back. Sarah has it all. Spunk, charm – she’ll have you laughing so hard just by the way she pouts her lips. But she’s got the smarts to back it up.
Sarah plays social media influencer, mother and WAG (wife to a footballer who is very hands on with the nannies) Talia Arnott-Brown. Talia’s been “cancelled” and her apology tour is about setting things right with her fans, and she’s got a lot of them, over half a million on Instagram. She’s supported by her personal assistant Aisling, played by Aisling Rose McGrogan, who works for Talia for free to learn all there is to learn from the superficial, self-obsessed Talia.
But just how successful is Talia? There are many laughs to be had in this show, but the audience would be quick to judge it as simply a laughing matter – the writing is political, clever, and pokes at many of the issues women grapple with today, the obsession to be liked, the obsession with perfection. While Talia took us step by step through her “five pillars” that she says have led to her success, using a mix of invited guests, anecdotes, endorsements by famous celebrities and promotional videos, it is clear that Talia sees motherhood as an accessory to her fame. And she is quick to judge childless women, clearly perceiving motherhood as the only way to be a woman. The audience are left the judge how that’s really working for her.
Wailing Sarah Apology Tour will appeal to a large audience regardless of race or gender. I have been waiting for someone like Sarah. Praying for her! Can’t wait to see what’s next.
– Koraly
Koraly Dimitraidis is a Cypriot-Australian writer and performer and the author of Love and F—k Poems and Just Give Me The Pills which together form the basis of her theatre show “I say the wrong things all the time”. Her opinion articles/essays have been published widely including international publications in The Washington Post. Sarah Nicolazzo has performed at one of Koraly’s curated online events but Koraly has never met Sarah in person and she does not have any affiliations with any of the cast or crew members of this show.
“Wailing Sarah Apology Tour” runs 23rd March – 28th MARCH 2021 at Campari House, Melbourne. Book tickets here.
Disclosure: The Plus Ones were invited guests of Sarah Nicolazzo
Photo credit: Phil Speers
