Review: Million Dollar Maybe at Perth Cultural Centre

Million Dollar Maybe at The Parlour @ Perth Cultural Centre
Saturday, February 11, 2023

8/10

Multi-award-winning comedian Robyn Perkins returns to the stage with another delightful hybrid of laugh-out-loud comedy, storytelling and most importantly, facts and statistics in Million Dollar Maybe.

While performing to an unfortunately small crowd at the Parlour, in the Perth Cultural Centre, on Saturday, Perkins effortlessly delivered a sensational performance teeming with great anecdotes, intelligent quips, moments of hilarious audience interaction and a slideshow of endearingly nerdy figures.

Focusing her comedic lens on her relatively new foray into the liberating, conflicting and often contentious world of bisexuality, and her newly discovered queer identity, Perkins’ comedy was highly personal and at times vulnerable but, most importantly it was rarely, if ever, self-deprecating. Navigating amusing reflections on the difficulties of dating, and the frustrating culture of bisexual-erasure, Perkins’ stories and jokes were told from a position of pride, self-acceptance and an openness to laugh with, not at herself. For a newly ‘out’ comedian who is still navigating their queer identity, this aversion to cheap shots at the expense of the community was refreshing, exciting and highly admirable.

While combining science and love stories is often a difficult task, Perkins’ work was genuinely and consistently funny throughout the show, with well-timed presentation slides, and intelligent moments of referencing previous jokes, and twisting audience expectations with her strong grasp of comedic misdirection. Her use of a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate hilarious points and drive home moments of comedic gold was well executed, and her research was satisfyingly robust, for the science nerds in the room. Her commitment to research was best surmised in the unique offer of a reference list at the end of the show.

A highly enjoyable element of her show was her frequent moments of audience interaction. A little flirtatious, a bit of call and response, and a lot of encouraged participation and questions, Perkins interacted with audience members with ease and, importantly, genuine interest in what they had to say. Perkin’s easy-going, often wonderfully relatable demeanor and, quietly charismatic charm made the show a genuine delight to watch.

Full of easy laughs and very clever quips, this show was a joy to watch. Perkins, a powerhouse performer in the making, should be near the top of any Fringe comedy watch list.

BEC WELDON