By George Dixon
Dr Jo, asks the question, Can Cancer Be Funny? Which opens up other thoughts like, is it too early to make fun of Cancer? How do you present Cancer in a light-hearted way that is also supportive and informative?
Dr Jo’s new production, Cancer and Cartwheels, is a light-hearted testament to her cancer and recovery journey.
This 55-minute 18+ non-stop show is reflective, informative and empowering, sprinkled with direct and relative humour, which relates to everyone who has worn a hospital gown to a mammogram to various aspects of treatment and recovery.
Jo’s humour excels when covering various topics based on the reflective observations and philosophy to the conventional persona of tags like “Princess Warrior” or “Pink Chicks”
Likewise, her actual transformation into an alternative personality through simply changing her wig brings the house down with fits of laughter and escapism.
The audience is taken along Jo’s path, which includes snapshots of short home videos capturing her childhood, her hospital journey and successes and developments towards reaching her personal goals, plus her personal achievement benchmark, which is based on her ability to do cartwheels from a young age.
While the journey is personal, it is also very relatable; her openness and therapeutic suggestions provide good quality, helpful information.
Dr Jo exceeds in reaching her objectives of providing an honest, light-hearted comedy that is informative and empowering. She takes her audience on a path of information, filled with laughter in a way that is uplifting. The audience absolutely loved the experience.
Jo is also using her performance to enhance the discussion while providing a platform for the audience to donate via a QR code to BCNA (Breast Cancer Network Australia)
Dr Jo’s “Cancer and Cartwheels” is a skilled balance of impressive storytelling, comedy and empowerment. A journey worth experiencing.
