Felicity Ward reads from The Book of Moron
Felicity Ward @ Le Cascadeur
8:45pm, Mon 1 Mar 2010
Last year I raved about Felicity Ward’s show; even now, the memories of it were of cutting laughter and an energetic mood. So I was a little perturbed to take my wooden seat in Le Cascadeur to find an old armchair, some slippers, and a big old book sitting onstage – this looked awfully sedate, I thought, and lacking in the vibrancy of last year’s show. But after a genuinely surprising start (her entrance is… well, let’s just say that you missed it), Ward settles into the same familiar groove – and that is indeed a Good Thing.
Yes, some of the material is familiar – there’s a tentative return to Ward’s IBS-inspired flatulence, and more prodding of her family… and her own idiosyncracies. But she’s also broadening her range with a little guitar accompaniment (not overused, thankfully), as she pulls new stories from her over-sized Book of Moron.
I’m not convinced that the reading-stories-by-the-fire-with-the-dog-at-your-feet motif added anything to the performance (other than the opportunity for that opening), but it’s good to see that Felicity Ward can still spin a yarn. Great stuff, and she remains an Australian comedian to be followed.