By Jessica Taurins
Reason number one to see ‘Act Like I’m Not Here’: Mish Wittrup is a stellar storyteller (and a noted lover of alliteration, from what I understand) and uses her skills to bring you under her wordy, delightful spell.
Reason number two: as befitting of the Butterfly Club’s burlesque history, she’ll show you her tits.
As a Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s nominee for Best Newcomer in 2022, Wittrup is fresh-ish into the solo comedy scene. Currently she’s best known for working with Aunty Donna on their sketch comedy shows, but ‘Act Like I’m Not Here’ is a fully individual act, supplemented by a TV, some surprising lighting presets, and her wonderful tech to pull all of the techy bits together.
The Butterfly Club venue is, as always, intimate and beautiful, but Wittrup is the first act I’ve seen to fully express her “wtf” at the venue’s decor. What starts as a love letter to the venue and ends with cracks about the Antiques Roadshow of it all is a really fun way to open the show, especially as Wittrup herself has seen her fair share of performances in the building.
Wittrup quickly cements herself as a charismatic superstar. Her energy flows off the stage and brightens the entire room as she talks us through her job-hunt trials and tribulations. Then, in a fun twist of events, we are drawn into a Grecian tale of woe, all returning in a pleasant circle back to Wittrup’s own life.
Not to get all deep about it, but underlying her stories are the very relatable needs to be understood, and to be human. It doesn’t seem like trawling an employer’s website to read about their values or deep diving into Greek mythology in one’s free time could bring out such pensive reflections, but Wittrup’s skills bring the heart behind her stories to life.
It’s pretty crazy how working a dead-end job is a little bit like an entire village jeering at you because of something that isn’t your fault. But perhaps it’s just Wittrup’s powerful presence that makes it all fall into place.
Despite the show’s name, Wittrup deserves to be seen for everything she is and everything she can do. Her presence is grand and worthy of attention, and her comedy stylings are well-timed with a wonderful sprinkling of insanity. ‘Act Like I’m Not Here’ is absolutely worth putting on your MICF list for 2024!
