Review: OLGA KOCH'S PRAWN COCKTAIL at Regal Theatre

It’s safe to say that Olga Koch covers a lot of territory in her show PRAWN COCKTAIL. Her stories go from Japan to the UK to New Zealand, all whilst the audience learns more about parasocial relationships, one night stands, Olga herself, and the namesake prawn cocktails than they probably thought they would.

Olga Koch is an up and comer of world comedy, and her rise from obscurity to international tour seems to be following the sort of trajectory that means that people who see her show PRAWN COCKTAIL will be telling their friends about the time they saw her in a few years. Her growing list of fans and accolades is well deserved, as Koch charms the audience easily and early in her show. That is not to say Koch’s stories are necessarily relatable, indeed there were few times when I could see myself in the positions she was finding herself in, but the way Koch was able to paint vivid (and hilarious) pictures from all sorts of adventures and misadventures was truly amazing.

Koch recently got a masters degree and undertook an adult gap year, and found herself travelling the world and finding herself. She is open about her sexuality, family relationships, and mental health from very early on in the show, but the way she opens with a certain swagger (a façade she gently chips away at throughout the show) makes you sit up and pay attention. Koch then masterfully springboards off this attention, putting comedy aside briefly to have genuine talks about all sorts of topics from modern hook-up culture to mental health. This then allows her to give even deeper introspection about the good and bad parts of being a stand up comedian.

There’s a fair chance you’ve seen or heard Olga Koch somewhere recently; she’s guested on a bunch of podcasts and TV shows recently, and there is a general buzz around her. The buzz will soon be a roar, so I’d say that if you have the chance to see her live, you should take it.

Olga Koch was in Perth for the Perth Comedy Festival. The festival runs until May 19th. More information and upcoming shows can be found on Perth Comedy Festival.

Find more about Olga Koch (including upcoming shows and tours) at RockNRolga.com

Photo thanks to Olga Koch/Perth Comedy Festival.