Wollongong Comedy Festival’s ‘Diana McLaren is Defective’ was a cozy affair in Wollongong’s Side Door Theatre. A hidden paradise for up-and-coming artists, the Side Door Theatre provided the perfect backdrop for Diana’s hour of comedy.
McLaren’s style of comedy relied mainly on her personal experiences, ranging from her journey with mental health, navigating the dating pool when emotionally unavailable, and circling back to specific and “weird” sex stories.
The quaint setting made for a very intimate evening without needing to undertake extensive crowdwork. Some audience members seemed disappointed at the prospect that they wouldn’t be randomly picked to talk, so they would do it when they felt they had something to contribute.
Diana’s section of her set that focused on mental health and therapy, whilst deeply personal, was an excellent display of further breaking down the taboos and stereotypes that surround diagnoses like ADHD and dysfunctional families.
She reminded us that even if we are in therapy or are thinking about going to therapy, that doesn’t mean that something is wrong or broken inside; it just means that you’ve decided to work on yourself.
I thoroughly enjoyed her analogy of driving a car that was clearly breaking down, making noises that it shouldn’t be making, the blinkers turning on the windshield wipers, and just generally being wholly unsafe and not roadworthy but saying, “This is fine! I’ll keep driving.”
Instead of going to a mechanic and getting it checked at the first sign of something not working the way it should. If you wouldn’t do that with a car, why do that to your brain?
It was a thoroughly enjoyable performance, and we hope to see Diana on stage again soon. Check-in here for more information about Diana Mclaren.
In addition, Wollongong Comedy Festival has many upcoming shows and events across July; check them out and treat yourself to an evening filled with laughter!
This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.
