ACT Like A Lady (MICF)

MC Codie Bell brings some much-needed energy to the proceedings, belying the size of the venue with some necessary gusto. While her enthusiasm is commendable, Bell seems unsure of her own comedic abilities, relying heavily on the stereotypical, "what's-the-deal?" style delivery of '80s TV comics. No doubt Bell is well on her way to being an incredibly accomplished talent in the world of comedy, but currently, her persona feels apocryphal. Nonetheless, Bell welcomes Laura Campbell, Ellie Windred, Claire Hagan and Maddy Weeks onstage throughout like a pro, revving up the audience and making her fellow comics comfortable and welcomed to the night.

There is a lot on offer with ACT Like A Lady, but the whole thing still feels very much in its infancy, with the comedians taking much of their own sets to find the right footings for their performance. The show is at its peak when the performers take the opportunity of an all-female lineup to skew and dissect the modern world and how it affects them and their fellow women. From the outside, it would seem that the comics are more or less within the same demographic, but their comedy can traverse their Gen-Y facade with personal and eye-opening stories from their own lives. Campbell, for example, happily divulges the goings on of her own disabilities and how it specifically affects her as a woman - pulling from it some excellent and inspiring material.

ACT Like A Lady needs some diligent directing to sort out the hiccups, but there is more than enough potential in what these ladies have to offer.

Catch ACT Like A Lady till 23 Apr at the Basement Cafe, part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.