Alice Snedden – review

To put it simply Alice Snedden is amazing. She’s the head writer of Jono and Ben, a writer for Funny Girls, has a podcast alongside Rose Matafeo, performs with Snort and has a law degree. Now, she’s managed to pull together one of the most polished first hours of stand-up I’ve ever seen – ‘Self-Titled’. I have no idea how she does it.

When I say first hour of stand-up, I mean that – this is Alice Snedden’s first full show, and yet it’s better than many an hour I’ve seen from both international and local acts who have been performing on stage for years. Self-Titled is funny, relatable and engaging – mainly down to the fact that Snedden well and truly knows her audience. Within minutes, she has everyone on her side, and on her side we all remain for a full 60 minutes.

Content wise, the show is pretty simple. A collection of personal anecdotes about herself, her family and her life. Snedden herself acknowledges that she has fallen into that oh-so-analysed ‘female comedian trope’ of mainly talking about periods (her take-down of people that dare criticise this is excellent). But, what more would people want or expect from a show called ‘Self-Titled’ – of course it’s all about Alice.

Her anecdotes about childhood and family– particularly her relationship with her mother –are the stand-outs. They give a genuine insight into Snedden’s life, and it’s this genuineness and sincerity that makes the show so engaging. She’s also very unafraid to tackle topics less explored in stand-up, with some excellent mime to help us along. I wonder if the people that walked in late will ever erase the context-less memory of what they saw?

I have no doubt that Alice Snedden will soon be one of this country’s most recognisable names. For now, Self-Titled is an immense achievement and one which I encourage everyone to get out and enjoy.

Alice Snedden is at The Basement Theatre, Auckland 16 – 20 May.

Reviewed by Steward Sowman-Lund.

5 stars small

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