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Photograph: Supplied
  • Comedy, Comedy festival
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Review

Jordan Barr: Saturn Return Lol

3 out of 5 stars

Barr reflects on her Saturn Return with an hour laden with pop culture references and astrology

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Time Out says

If you’re unfamiliar with a Saturn return, here’s the gist: it’s when the planet Saturn returns to the exact position it was in when you were born, and some believe it’s associated with major life changes. It takes around 29.5 years for this astrological phenomenon to occur, and comedienne Jordan Barr has just passed that threshold and uses her newest show, Saturn Return Lol, to explore the milestones that have (or haven’t) been achieved. 

Like in last year’s show, Dreams, Barr is again equipped with a pastel-themed PowerPoint presentation that she talks around like a professor giving a lecture, and there are enough references to pop culture (Barr weighs in on the Diana-Camilla feud to the timelessness of The Sound of Music and her questionable aspiration to be a Dance Mom) to make your head spin on its axis. 

Despite the similarities, Barr doesn’t achieve the same unhinged wackiness as last year, and something is missing. In this set, Barr is strongest when she wields her impressive wealth of pop culture knowledge, shining bright with her niche knowledge of the real Von Trapp family and the royal family. But several sections are overworked and don’t quite land, like the series of questionable mocked-up Instagram posts she created to show how she’d announce major milestones. 

It’s still an enjoyable hour, and admittedly a lot of the material seemed to mostly hit home with the crowd that skewed younger (Gen Z, perhaps) than this Millennial reviewer. But no matter the generation you belong to, there are laughs to be had and the odds are high that Barr will pique your curiosity about Saturn returns and once you get home, you’ll be Googling when yours comes around.  

Want to know which shows have us LOLing in the aisles this year? Check out our guide to Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2023.

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