Alex Ward: Quiet (MICF)

An endlessly charming insight into the life of a 20-something-year-old comedian is hardly breaking new ground for comedy. Having said that, Alex Ward's Quiet is an endlessly charming insight into the life of a 20-something-year-old comedian.

Hailing from QLD but a mainstay of the Melbourne comedy scene nowadays, Ward has the incredible ability to break through the facade that comes so readily with a stage. She sees the people of the world as the raw, flawed beings that we are (including herself among them) while removing the stigma that can come with that.

It's an odd but densely satisfying aspect of the show that Ward can balance pessimistic self-deprecation with subtle and uplifting verses of hope and positivity throughout. While her timbre and structure can seldom reach a dead end - forcing her to backtrack to find her flow again - Ward is reminiscent of the likes of John Mulaney and Michelle Wolf in her clear-cut projection of self, long haul callbacks and attention to the most minute of details.

Quiet is a slow-burner, a show that gradually garners flavour and substance as it progresses. It forces the audience to be attentive and in the moment, prompting laughs even as the punters are driving home after the gig. Sophisticated, intelligent comedy; Ward is a scholar of the craft.

Alex Ward presents Quiet till 23 Apr at the Forum Theatre, part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.