Claudia O'Doherty: Laugh Ninja

My mission for Fringe was to see as many stand-up shows as possible and basically glut myself on comedy. 

Most shows I saw were based off recommendations from comedians I liked and Claudia O'Doherty was a performer that was recommended by both Josie Long and David O'Doherty (which is the sort of endorsement that pretty much guaranteed that I would be seeing that show).

Not knowing anything about O'Doherty, I did a cursory search on the internet. While there weren't many clips- there were a lot of pictures of her wearing a shark mask (which was obviously a point in her corner). 

I eventually found an interview she did for her last Fringe show in 2011 (What Is Soil Erosion?) Here is a snippit:

2. Describe (the show) in three words. Magic magic magic.
3. What is your favorite thing about the show? It involves pudding.
4. Complete this sentence: if you like partying with sex wizards then, hell, you might just like my show.

Sold! I bought tickets to the show 15 minutes later.

Walking into the venue, I didn't quite know what to expect. I knew that the show was called The Telescope and that it wasn't a stand-up act. The blurb in the Festival Program simply read: "No more jokes. No more laughter... Please join Claudia for her first foray into confronting upsetting theater." The only other clue I had to go on was a short one minute trailer and while mildly amusing, it still didn't reveal much.

And then "Get Ready For This" started playing on the overhead speaker. When O'Doherty skipped gleefully onto the stage- any hesitance or skepticism I had had evaporated. I knew only merriment and joy.

The show was mental and can best be described as an hour of undiluted awesomeness.

Afterwards, I went on a campaign to get everyone I knew to see it. When asked the logical follow-up question: "what is the show about?" I would answer with unrestrained zeal, "A monk gets murdered and a victorian washer-woman falls in love with an cop because of a cursed telescope and she plays all the parts and does the entire show in a blood-stained t-shirt. It's hilarious!"

("No, seriously. Wait- come back!")

Admittedly, my pitch needed some work.

The premise of The Telescope is this: O'Doherty is sick of stand-up and wants to do serious acting. She dubs her style of theater "difficult theater." This genre is employed to tell the story of a monk, a victorian washer woman, a supernatural telescope, and a modern day New York cop.

Despite claims that there would be "no laughter" and threats of "serious theater", the audience was in hysterics from the beginning : "it's no secret that The Telescope is not a sincere venture into dramatic territory, but O'Doherty's latest attempt yet at what she calls "high-concept stupidity." 

Brilliant.

The show has also received some amazing reviews. 

When I say "amazing reviews", I don't just mean that they were positive (which they have been) -- I mean the reviews themselves are a fantastic read. Some are great just because any article that uses the phrase "delightfully unhinged" or "panda expert" will always naturally pique my interest. Others are great because the reviewers tried so hard to write seriously about a show that is bananas. 

So, here are some of my favorite reviews of The Telescope presented with little to no context:

the winsome Aussie now wants to regale us with a lamentable time-travel-meets-satanism melodrama called The Telescope. (Mark Monahan // The Telegraph)

Claudia is a fucking nutbag. She is delightfully unhinged and frantically creative.  (Andy Lane // Rabbit Hole Urban Music

...cod melodrama in which the doe-eyed O’Doherty dons a series of daft wigs to play a suicidal 15th Century monk, a convict washerwoman and a tough, modern-day New York cop, all drawn together by a cursed telescope that can see through time. (Steve Bennett // Chortle)

Part panda expert, part surrealist performer, Claudia O'Doherty talks suicidal monks and 'difficult theatre' (Collette Cullen // The Skinny)

Just how did an entertainer come up with such a grand, nightmarish vision? ... "I was like: 'Well, I know there's going to be a telescope in it. And I think I'd like to be a New York City cop for a bit and I'd like to do karate kicks. But I'd also like to be a convict washerwoman, so how can I do that?' Well, if this telescope can communicate through time, all that stuff is achievable!" (Lyle Brennan // Fest Magazine)

"If it's whimsy, it's whimsy of the most kick-ass kind." (Alice Jones // The Independent)

Picture for The Telescope

May I just say that "whimsy of the most kick-ass kind" is one of the best reviews I have ever read. I now aspire to live a life where people are forced to use that phrase in order to describe me.

In short, it was one of the greatest shows I saw at the Fringe. I was incredibly glad I got to see the show and can't wait to see Claudia in future performances. 

One interviewer articulated my thoughts perfectly writing, "My biggest regret is that (I) didn't see her shows from previous years as I feel like I have missed some remarkable creations." 

Claudia O'Doherty is hilarious.

(**If you are unable or unwilling to take the word of a blogger (a sensible move on your part), the show recently got nominated for Best Show. The nomination alone is impressive when you stop to consider the sheer number of shows she was competing against. She is on a shortlist of six other performers and the winner will be announced Saturday.)

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More Claudia O'Doherty...
Twitter: @ClaudiaODoherty
Facebook: Claudia O'Doherty

Interviews
Interview on Australian radio show, Triple J (interview and O'Doherty plays five songs. Respect for playing R-Kelly and gratitude for making me aware of Emmylou and First Aid Kit.)

Hatty Ashdown's Silly Radio Show (link goes to iTunes podcast page) [Hattie at the Edinburgh Fringe 2011: JOSIE LONG & CLAUDIA O'DOHERTY] Delightful.


Absolutely True* Facts About Sharks (*Not True) Article on "100 Facts About Sharks" which she co-wrote with David O'Doherty (no relation) and Mike Ahern.