Review: Felicity Ward’s I’m Exhausting at The Rechabite
Felicity Ward’s I’m Exhausting at The Rechabite
Thursday, May 2, 2024
In the past decade, the output of award-winning comedian and actor Felicity Ward has simply gone gangbusters. In her personal life, Ward has become a mother, purchased a home with her partner in London, where she now calls home, and successfully navigated inner mental health demons from anxiety to postnatal depression.
On the career front, Ward has landed some of her largest acting roles to date. She can currently be seen in the role of Collette in ABC’s psychological mystery Wakefield, while later this year, she will star in the lead role in a new version of the cult-comedy classic The Office (Australia). And that’s not to forget that Ward continues to write and perform her own stand-up shows, with her latest, I’m Exhausting, bringing her to Perth on her first Australian national tour in five years as part of the 2024 Perth Comedy Festival.
While Ward did not elaborate on what has seen her productivity go through the roof in the past decade in I’m Exhausting, she did seemingly manage to cover pretty much everything else. For example, she talked about 1) just how silly Quorn is as a product name, while 2) taking in the pros and cons (or maybe that is just cons) of transition lenses before climaxing with 3) the truth about how women truly feel about fingering. And just how are these three topics related? Who knows! But Ward’s wide gamut of topics works, allowing her to riff and raff all over the place at an absurdly fast pace that landed many a hilarious punch line.
Taking a step back, there genuinely seemed to be nothing too large or too small for Ward to not get worked up. And just as the self-effacing title of the show indicates, those close to Ward may have to turn on their noise-cancelling earbuds from time to time (don’t ask her partner for his opinion on her animal impersonations) to maintain their sanity. On stage, however, this effervescent and vibrant, larger-than-life energy is what makes Ward as dynamic a talent as she is.
There is more than just raw energy to Ward’s comedy, however, as her material is remarkably personable, with her lack of filter seemingly making no topic too taboo or personal for her to share on stage. The show is not blue as a result; rather, it marks Ward’s unique place in comedy, as she is willing to share the most intimate details with others if she thinks it is funny.
One breathtaking example is the sheer confidence that Ward demonstrates in turning the changes in her body due to motherhood into a piece of comedy that is astoundingly refreshing as well as remarkable. Likewise, her material on her own mental health, the difficulties of being a mother, and her continued discovery of her sexuality posits her as one of the most relatable comedians currently at it.
I’m Exhausting is a show that was everything but what it says in the title, with any exhaustion felt in the audience most likely coming from the many laugh-out-loud moments delivered.
MICHAEL HOLLICK