Danielle Walker – Myths & Legends

Armed with an onslaught of silly drawings and a beguiling loutishness, Danielle Walker returns to MICF with another wonderfully odd performance. 

Moving gradually away from the autobiographical nature of last year’s Bush Rat, Walker is showcasing her abilities as a true multi-hyphenate this time round. Her eccentric family still play a large role in Myths & Legends, but the comic is casting her net further to showcase her knowledge of art, children’s books, history and the elusive magnetism of Tom Jones. All with a disarming smile and some hilariously unexpected vulgarity, Walker is polishing that brusque and unexpected charm for which she has become known.

It’d be easy to assume that Walker’s off-kilter delivery could become tiresome, but the abrasive deadpan style only gets better as the show progresses. What’s more interesting, however, is seeing how little of her persona is actually characterised. During her impromptu deviations from the show, Walker’s audience get to see her manic comedic mind working in real time. The cogs are moving in front of their eyes as the comedian drops in inexplicable comments off the cuff, showing off just how genuinely frenzied her brain can be. It’s brilliantly funny and oddly endearing, and a testament to Walker and her trademark weirdness. While these moments do admittedly fall a little flat tonight, it’s still a refreshing glimpse at a performer who is unwaveringly authentic both on and off stage.

It’s clear that though this is her second full show at the festival, Walker is only just beginning to garner the attention she deserves. Myths & Legends is another step forward for the Melbourne-based comic, and an exciting indicator of what may come next.