Imogen Whittaker has The Last Word at Fringe World

After successful seasons at The Butterfly Club in Melbourne and Geelong Comedy Festival, Imogen Whittaker is turning her comedic gaze to Perth’s Fringe World for the Western Australian debut of The Last Word. A comedic cabaret imbued with tales of dating woes and relationship hijinks, guaranteeing a good laugh and a hard look at the state of the female dating experience, The Last Word is an ode to modern not-so-romance and hits The Ellington Jazz Club from Tuesday, January 28, to Saturday, February 1—with tickets on sale now. BEC WELDON spoke to the one-woman force behind the show, Imogen Whittaker, to find out about the stories behind the show.

Hi, Imogen. Thank you so much for joining us! You’re set to take to the Perth Fringe World stage this season. How are you feeling? 

I’m excited! It’s so nice to be back on Noongar Boodjar and to be bringing the show to friends and family over here. Fringe World is my first time performing interstate, and I feel like it’s the perfect vibe for The Last Word. 

What can you tell us about the show? 

The Last Word is a totally objective look back at the last words of relationships in my 20s and the songs that I wrote to go with them—so it’s pretty much an opportunity for me to say anything I want to and not give anyone the right of reply! It started as a bit of a joke with some friends, regaling them with stories and the songs that I’d written, and then it really began to form into a cabaret, and suddenly I had this very funny, very personal, and somehow very relatable show on my hands.

The show has a strongly personal feel to it. Was there anything in particular that inspired you to write the show?

I had an ex-boyfriend send me an incredibly out-of-pocket text, several months post-breakup, which was just so insane that I felt the world needed to know about it. I’ve been fortunate enough to have mostly positive ‘last words,’ but the sheer gall of this person inspired a level of spite that turned out to be quite the motivator.

Where did your passion for comedy and performance come from?

Mostly it’s come from the deep desire to be the centre of attention and growing up in a very loud family. There’s also something very joyful about being able to take parts of your life that were maybe not the most positive and turning them into something that others can enjoy hearing about. I’ve always been musical and grew up in musical theatre, but never really performed my own music until this show.

The songs and lyrics in your show take musical inspiration from a range of writers. Who is your biggest comedic inspiration, and what impact did they have on the show’s content?

I adore Tim Minchin and Gillian Cosgriff as comedians—the way they weave stories, beautiful music, and witty lyricism into meaningful work is incredible. I love leaving a show feeling like I’ve ticked every emotional box—joy, sadness, nostalgia, hope… and both Tim and Gillian manage to do that in spades. I laugh the hardest when there’s a story behind it that I connect with. Musically, Missy Higgins and Sara Bareilles are definitely my greatest influences.

Can you tell us about the creative process behind writing the show?

I’d always written music to process big feelings, but apart from popping things onto TikTok and putting together a little demo for friends’ Christmas presents, I hadn’t really done much with it. I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to put on a short cabaret at a local community theatre in late 2023, which sort of kick-started the proper writing process. From then, there were quite a few girls’ nights for cheeseboards and feedback, plenty of rewrites, and a couple of last-minute additions as more last words entered the chat.

You have quite the comedic CV: triple j’s Hobba and Hing, Into the Woods, Impromptunes: The Completely Improvised Musical Theatre Show… Tell us about your favourite, or most memorable gig experience. 

My favourite performance was definitely opening night of The Last Word’s first season at The Butterfly Club in Melbourne. Self-producing a one-woman show was an exhausting process, and seeing the sold-out crowd on their feet at the end was more than I could’ve hoped for.

Being a part of the Hobba and Hing show was a really unexpected and hilarious experience. Joining them at The Forum in Melbourne for the Comedy Festival was the cherry on top.

The Perth Fringe World season is blessed with a plethora of exciting comedies and cabaret experiences. What sets your show apart from others at the festival? 

I’m really proud of the original music in the show. The most consistent feedback I’ve had has been how much audiences loved the songs. Don’t get me wrong. It’s funny as well—I’m a very funny person, I promise—but it’s just me and the keyboard, and the show would be nothing if the music wasn’t good.

What do you hope audiences take away from the show?

Hold onto every ounce of pettiness just in case you ever want to write a one-woman show about it. And also hope, I guess.

The Last Word hits The Ellington Jazz Club from Tuesday, January 28, to Saturday, February 1, 2025. Tickets are on sale now from fringeworld.com.au