Waterloo – REVIEW
Surely one of the most enjoyable activities as an adult living in a city is getting a ticket to a show you know nothing about and then being totally blow away by how brilliant and thought provoking that production is!
Maybe I’ve been living under a cultural rock without knowing it, but I’ll be honest, I had never heard of Bron Batten before rocking up to see Waterloo, her one woman show at the Bondi Pavilion, as part of this year’s Bondi Festival.
In reality, Bron Batten is actually an internationally acclaimed, multi award-winning Australian performer and producer. Her expertise as a writer is obvious, and her stage presence is honed to perfection as, within this hysterically funny and painfully poignant show, she expertly explores everything from human vulnerability, toxic relationships to government funded genocide and homemade explosives.
At one point in the show (do be warned there is a fair amount of audience participation) she even asked my partner to answer the question “have you ever cheated in a relationship?” by throwing a ping pong ball into one of two bins onstage marked yes or no. (luckily, it turns out my boyfriend is a really bad aim so I blissfully got no clarification either way!)
The story telling within Waterloo very much reminded me of the style of current comedy darlings, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Hannah Gadsby and even Wanda Sykes, in the way that the comedic narrative often circles back onto itself to create a deep and complete narrative built around personal experiences yet building on a shared frustration with modern life.
There is no reason that Bron Batten is not as famous or as respected as these contemporary icons of comedy listed above, I would even offer that Bron (I feel that’s its fair to assume she and I are on a first name basis now that I have shared so much with her after seeing this show) can even justify comparisons to my absolute comedy super-hero Victoria Wood with her use of timing and ability to see humour when others would see only hopelessness.
After leaving the theatre last night I messaged a few girl friends to suggest they go see this show. Certainly, for any modern single gal, it is a must-see — as a lesson in spotting red flags in relationships, it is an absolute masterclass. I doubt that I was the only punter to propose this recommendation, which means that over the coming years, Bron Batten will probably become a household name — other plebs like me will know who she is, and up-and-coming comedians will be compared to her.
Get in quick though. This show is only a limited run, so run to it!
