The List

Desiree Burch: The Golden Wrath comedy review – Laughs delivered with momentum

The US comic continues her knack for energetic gags as she tackles perimenopause 

Share:
Desiree Burch: The Golden Wrath comedy review – Laughs delivered with momentum

Now six Fringes deep, Desiree Burch has brought her undeniable star quality to various projects such as Taskmaster, Too Hot To Handle and Live At The Apollo. Her latest show is a confessional exploration of womanhood through the lens of a Gen X-er going through perimenopause (Burch recently turned 46). She opens with this question of age, giving us her sweeping hot takes on the existential perils of each generation. The delivery of this first section is loose but it tightens as the show’s central theme is introduced and this American comic’s signature energetic anecdotes are allowed to flourish. 

Momentum is built when Burch describes the plethora of her perimenopausal symptoms, drawing attention to their severity as well as the lack of medical research surrounding them. Undercutting these more serious moments are theatrical bits where Burch transforms into the biology teacher we all needed at school, personifying her own reproductive organs and creating an interesting club analogy to describe hormonal shifts. These get the crowd fully onside, with many nodding and hollering in agreement.

While catharsis is undoubtedly reached tonight in openly discussing a topic that is still ludicrously taboo, The Golden Wrath doesn’t always stick all of its landings. More original punchlines could have been excavated from this rich story and a neater structure chiselled to make the various subplots balance in harmony. Her storytelling abilities keep this new hour perfectly entertaining and highly informative but it’s hard not to feel that more nuggets of gold still lurk beneath the surface. 

Desiree Burch: The Golden Wrath, Monkey Barrel, until 10 August, 5.40pm; main picture: Jannica Honey. 

↖ Back to all news