There are two things that Robyn Reynolds wants us to know at the opening of her Melbourne Fringe Festival show, Robyn Reynolds is on trial. One: she loves comedy. Two: She is filled with rage. And thus, she is stuck in a cycle of shame, self-deprecation and making people laugh.
Which brings us to the teeny basement of Bard’s Apothecary, where there’s not a single seat left as Reynolds makes her grand entrance – a red velvet curtain backdrop, mic stand and her “emotional support notes” the only props.
Reynolds is charmingly candid straight off the bat, explaining she spent her youth living as a “jellyfish trying to be a girl”. These people pleasing qualities were amplified by her mother, Janice, aka a “messy and narcissistic” woman with a penchant for Whopper Burgers. What ensues is a jaw-on-the-floor account of growing up with a mum who would make every one of Reynolds’ birthdays about herself (a story about the ‘bad taste’ party had the crowd gasping in shock).
Enter: the first musical comedy section of the set. ‘Mummy Issues’ is a sultry ode to the woman who eventually disowned Reynolds via email – from a “hotmail account”, to be exact. (Yes, really.) Not only does Reynolds have a great voice, but she can also craft a catchy tune – even if she is working through childhood trauma.
Reynolds’ dad doesn’t escape the spotlight either, and we hear about how he invited her to come to Australia and live with him in Sydney. Spoiler alert: this does not end well, and she ends up moving house 13 times during her first year in the Harbour City. Don’t worry, she has a good relationship with her father now, even though he claims he doesn’t need therapy (“what man does, right?” Reynolds says with a wink and a nod) and loves to heckle her comedy sets.
The second half of the set explores Reynolds’ journey towards fighting for better health advocacy – something every woman in the crowd wholeheartedly seemed to connect with. After becoming severely unwell, “at least 20” doctors simply put her symptoms down to “pregnancy or periods”. Yikes.
Somehow though, Reynolds manages to spin these moments of extreme vulnerability – shitting blood, being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and carrying a poo in her handbag – into comedy gold, with another hugely catchy tune thrown in there for good measure.
If this were a real trial, there’s no way this crowd of jurors would find Reynolds guilty of anything – aside from being the “comedian with the most beautiful cervix” (and no, we’re not giving the context of that one away). This laugh-out-loud, surprisingly vulnerable and empowering solo show cements Reynolds as one to watch. And who doesn’t love seeing a woman stepping into her power, especially when conveyed through a pop banger? She’s certainly no people pleaser anymore, and we’re here for it.
Robyn Reynolds is on trial is running until October 12 at Bard's Apothecary and tickets are available here.
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