Anne Edmonds – Ever Since the Dawn of Anne

I stumbled across Anne Edmonds at the 2010 Melbourne Comedy Festival. A relative unknown to me, all I had to go on was a review extract from Catherine Deveny: ‘One to watch. And not just because she’s talented but because she’ll nick your wallet’. So with my purse clasped tightly to my chest, I went along to Edmonds’ show at the Butterfly Club and it ended up being one of the highlights of the festival for me.

Ever Since the Dawn of Anne, Edmonds new show for Fringe 2010, is another festival delight.

What I love about Edmonds foremost is her infectious affability and zaniness. Yes, she might be a stalker but you still want to hang out with her, have a beer and tell her that the object of her obsession is an idiot for not wanting her. With this kind of likeability, even if a joke flat lines, all is forgiven because up there on stage is our best mate.

Like any worthy comedian, Edmonds has a talent for good story telling. She allows us to identify with the people and situations in her stories as well as she peppers it with plenty of laughs along the way. I think where Edmond’s talent really lies, though, is in her characterisations. Admittedly, I was a little distracted by the character of the neighbour as narrator as I didn’t know what the connection was between him and Edmond’s retrospective. Nonetheless, her characters are quite solid and when Edmonds is behind the screen and switches from the neighbour to herself you would swear it was two entirely different people. Be sure to watch out for Edmonds mimicing her chain smoking mother; it’s absolutely hysterical.

If you’re having a bad week, a bad month or a bad election, do yourself a favour and see The Dawn of Anne. After a good belly laugh like this, you might just believe that everything’s going to be alright.