By Kristopher Hinz
It’s the little moments that count. Anne Edmonds takes the audience on a charming ride through late-in-life motherhood (or LILM, as she calls it). There are of course, a litany of stories filled with the larger-than-life characters and shrill accents that Edmonds has made her calling card over a decade at the top of Melbourne’s comedy circuit. But the audience learn that it’s the little moments (like 20 minutes of “stress free scrolling” on Instagram at a gastro-infested play centre) that make the stresses of parenting worth it.
Edmonds bursts onto stage with a joyful, Ellen-like dance and welcomes the Saturday afternoon crowd with enthusiasm and gratitude. Her subsequent quick wit and easy smile when dealing with audience interaction demonstrate just how she has made herself such a warm favourite on panel shows such as Have You Been Paying Attention.
As the name implies, the show ostensibly centres around the challenges of a leaky bottle and a backpack that has copped more than its fair share of over-saturation. And although there are plenty of clever call-backs to this throughout the hour-long performance, Edmonds target audience is clearly older mums.
When asked to explain this pivot from the lovelorn, depressed comic she was pre-covid, she explains the change as being the result of having “trapped” her Welsh partner and fellow comic Lloyd Langford in Melbourne as lockdown hits. It takes a pandemic of apocalyptic proportions to find a good man these days!
There is plenty of clever social commentary on the stigmas of being an older mother and the subtle and not so subtle societal judgements that come with it. Here, Edmonds caricatures have the audience in stitches- the hysterical and shrill impersonations of construction workers or beauticians only serve to make the story more relatable to the audience rather than take them out of it, as would be the case with an inferior comedic talent.
Along the way, the audience hears how she has changed from single-life tantrums over unrequited love to frantically searching the age-old cobblestone lanes of Edinburgh in search of an ultimately disappointing highchair for her toddler. There is plenty of fun poked at the out of touch younger “skinny arse” mums that lack the gumption to enforce discipline, even if Edmonds labels herself as having instilled “Kim Jong Un level” propaganda in her daughter in response.
Her partner Langford of course takes plenty of stick as the partner in absentia. The charm in their relationship is evident, making you wish you could be a fly on the wall at dinner with the Edmonds household. She doesn’t shy away from the odd jab at his tenuous visa situation, with a few clever call-backs to “trapping” him pre-pandemic.
There is never a moment where the audience is lost, and by this point, she has them eating right out of her hands as she concludes with an ill-fated trip to Coles where she is recognised by a fan at the worst possible moment.
Whilst mums would no doubt find this show the most appealing, Edmonds gets laughs out of all ages and walks of life with her relatable and down to earth nature on stage. With just two shows this year, count it as a pity that more comedy-loving audiences won’t get to see Edmonds talk us all through her journey through early motherhood, over-hydration and all.
