Effie – Frigid to Feral comedy review: Hilarious and relatable
Outspoken Effie tackles ageing, marriage and menopause with bawdy humour and razor-sharp crowd-work
From her days on Australian TV classic Acropolis Now to her latest run at the Adelaide Fringe, Effie is as iconic as ever. In 60 minutes of sexually charged stand-up, she vents on the woes of getting older and the middle-aged quandary of being unsure if you want to jump your partner or throttle them.
Effie sees the stereotypes and embraces them, telling stories of her Greek mother and grandmother and their lack of valuable advice on the changes happening to her. She reminisces about the days when she and her now-husband, Dr Shane Bradley Cooper, would attend the Melbourne Cup from the comfort of their bedroom. Now, given the choice between her expertise as a jockey and the couch, he chooses the couch. But no, she’s just paranoid…
In the latter half of the show, the audience is treated to some of her trademark crowd-work where Effie unpacks the innerworkings of the long-term marriages in the room and asks the secret for getting through this hot flush-induced rocky patch. Her interactions are quick to the punch and are a hilarious way to round out the show. While she may have dried up, Effie’s onslaught of jokes sure hasn’t. Her ‘pub(l)ic service announcement’ unveils the mysteries of reverse puberty in her latest comedy, offering a take on the journey of losing your hormones that is relatable and raw (emotionally and otherwise).
Effie – Frigid to Feral concluded February 22 at The Spiegeltent at The Garden of Unearthly Delights.