Fake It ‘Til You Make It

“Fake It ‘Til You Make It,” Bryony Kimmings lists as one of the top three unhelpful pieces of advice men receive when they open up about negative emotions. It’s a cringeworthy line that highlights society’s dismissal of male depression. At this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Kimmings and real-life fiancé Tim Grayburn have taken to the stage to share their intimate experience of his clinical depression. The show is true to Kimmings’ beloved style: imaginative performance antics laced with raw honesty. 

The couple don’t avoid the darkness in their story. Rather, it’s gently presented to us through her effortless humour and his charm. Their performance is nuanced with the care Kimmings extends to Grayburn as his partner and co-performer for, unlike her, Grayburn is not a performer. Yet, in a desire to de-stigmatise the suffering that others share, Grayburn is vulnerable before us. Kimmings cheekily checks on him throughout the show and adorns him with a variety of headdresses so as he doesn’t have to look us in the eye. Together they perform a mambo dance of depression symptoms that strikes with both silliness and aching. The show is a delicate success and must-see of the festival. It moves male mental illness from shame to the spotlight.