There was a mixture of reactions and emotions from the crowd at the fancy Perth State Theatre from not so fancy award-winning stand-up comedian Sarah Callaghan's show 24.
Mainly, there were fits of laughter as people choked on her satirical, self-deprecating and deadpan humour and creative use of explicit language, hilariously raising some valid points about the differences and similarities between animals and humans: "penguins aren't cunts".
Triumphing against the odds, this self-proclaimed "shit Doctor Dolittle" not only had to deliver typical English humour to a group of mainly conservative mature Perthites, she also had to sort out a group of five intoxicated and borderline disruptive women in the front row. A potential disaster zone, she handled them like a boss, sending many of them into hysterics while delicately putting them in their place. Yet the challenging start only made her 'I hate humans' routine all the more compelling.
Kind of like watching a hilarious down-in-the-dumps mate ridiculing the hypocrisies of humans and their relationship with animals, her show was also fierce and clever, filled with deep truths that may even leave you feeling unexpectedly moved. Callaghan proved she is much more than the persona she plays on stage.
