Anna Nicholson: Woman Of The Year ~ Adelaide Fringe 2019 Review

The National Wine Centre, Mon 25 Feb. [COMEDY/SKETCH COMEDY ~ ADELAIDE PREMIERE ~ GBR] Following a sell-out show at the Edinburgh Fringe last year, Brit Anna Nicholson now brings her character-driven show Woman Of The Year to an international audience, with a stop at Adelaide Fringe on her circuit. The format of her show is to present four candidates for the honour of being Woman Of The Year with the audience getting to decide the winner. The characters are diverse: a department store bra fitter and vanity published writer with an interesting take on what it means to be a woman; a vacuous blogger and ‘influencer’ from Newcastle doing her bit to, if not make the world a better place, at least to make it a bit easier on the eye; a bumptious and super competitive young trendy vicar; and an older, frisky Yorkshire woman with – one can only assume – a very happy husband. Anna presents each candidate with great enthusiasm alongside musical accompaniment from her keyboard player side kick. We were also introduced to “Kevin” whose disembodied voice keeps up the comedic tone in between costume changes. This is a well-written script and Anna is clearly talented with her nuanced character acting, singing and comic timing. However, I did think that some characters were stronger than others (Bianca was my favourite, with Reverend Ruth a close second). Anna’s interaction with the audience was at times a little tentative, and she seemed hesitant to play the moment out to its full comedic potential. Overall, this was a very enjoyable way to spend a Monday night with plenty of laughs. 3 stars Claire Hutchinson Anna Nicholson: Woman Of The Year continues at The National Wine Centre, at various times, until Sun 17 Mar. Book at FringeTIX on 1300 621 255 or adelaidefringe.com.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets. #ADLfringe