If there's any act in the country that should know their way around a Wine centre, it's middle aged mouthy mamas of mirth, Mandy Nolan and Ellen Briggs. They are the comedic super stars behind the successful touring show Women Like Us. With 7 children between them they're as adept at delivering laughs as they are at delivering babies, and the two solo stand ups are renowned for their rapid fire stand up, rolling out the laughs every 15 seconds. It's not just relentless, it's an ab work out!
Show after show audience members continue to be amazed that the two can not only keep the pace, they build throughout the night, bringing audiences to their feet cheering for more. It started out as an idea by two women comics to step away from the male dominated comedy scene into venues where women's stories and experiences are centre stage.
They call themselves 'the bogan woman's thinking woman and the thinking woman's bogan'.
The show is two hours of stand up comedy, an hour a piece by these powerful, no holes barred, tell it how it is pin up girls for what they call Real Women. 'We want our comedy to demystify a lot of the garbage that we're fed about being women' says Briggs. 'We tell everyday stories about our struggles, our failure to parent, the beauty industry, getting fatter, strange surgeries, obsessions, frustrations, and at the end of the day 'who unpacks the dishwasher'.
'It's not a show just for women' says Ellen Briggs, 'In the same way a comedy show by two men would never be seen as a bloke's only show. Women Like Us is about making our experiences universal rather than 'niche'. And as it turns out, there are a lot more Women Like Us out there then we ever realised. There's even a growing tribe of men Like Us too!'
Mandy Nolan is a columnist for the Byron Shire Echo, and writes regularly for Mamamia. She has appeared on ABC's Q&A, SBS's Mums The Word & About Women and is in demand as a corporate and club performer around the country. Ellen Briggs is a national Finalist for RAW comedy and winner of Foxtel Comedy Channel's Be A Comedian. The two women have well over 30 years of comedy experience between them, and this year they released their book, Women Like Us nationally.
Briggs and Nolan performed at the sold out Up Front showcase at Melbourne Comedy Festival at Melbourne Town Hall, these two were clearly the comedy picks of the night. One reviewer raved 'Two totally relatable ladies who hit the nail on the head of charismatic female comedy. Prepare yourself to be hunched over in hysterics!'
Women Like Us is stand up at its best, where Ellen and Mandy talk about housework, chickens, love, big undies, disappointment, resentment, sex when you're drunk, fit bits, yoga farts and being a menopausal woman dealing with teenage angst. They're overworked, overweight and over it .and they're coming to Adelaide Fringe!
Show dates:
Saturday 16th Feb 3pm @ The National Wine Centre.
Sunday 17th Feb 3pm @ The National Wine Centre.
Show duration = 140 minutes.
More information:
https://www.facebook.com/womenlikeuscomedy
http://www.womenlikeus.com.au
https://www.instagram.com/epodcentral
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