Women Like Us: back to Lismore where it all started!
Women Like Us is the comedy sensation created by stand ups, Mandy Nolan and Ellen Briggs. Realising they were an anomaly in their industry – kick arse comics, but middle aged women – they realised that it didn’t matter how good they were, they were always going to be behind the 8 ball in an industry that favours under 30’s and is dominated by blokes. After years of performing for women’s luncheons and fundraisers to audiences that fangirled them like crazy, they both decided that there was an audience out there for them – they just had to go out and find them. And so began Women Like Us.
It’s less conversations about Tinder, more about the ordinary experiences of life as mothers and partners. Their first show kicked off in Lismore five years ago. What the girls didn’t expect was how warmly they’d be received. Women Like Us has become one of the most in-demand touring comedy shows on the circuit with more than 160 performances so far.
And now they’re bringing their new Women Like Us show back to the Lismore Workers Club, where it all began, on Thursday 13 February.
Scoring not just one, but two five star reviews at Adelaide Fringe Festival, the show never fails to deliver, with audience members complaining that the laughs were coming so often that they felt physically exhausted. And yes, women have literally wet themselves, so it’s been called a two Tena show!
Find out how COVID-19 and the lockdown was for Women Like Us. Laughter, as they say, is the best way to survive anything, and heck, after what we have all been through – we sure need a laugh!
Women Like Us comes to the Lismore Workers Club on Saturday 13 February, doors 7pm. Show 8pm.
Social distancing is observed, so numbers are limited.
Get your tickets now to avoid disappointment!
$40 online at womenlikeus.com.au or at the club.
Sam I am at Bruns
For comedian Sam Simmons, one mighty rough year equals one mighty dumb show. He promises no life lessons. No epiphanies. No profundity. Just one hundred per cent guaranteed gelastic and frivolous escapism from the ‘new normal’.
This shall surely be an evening of socially distant people congregating safely in a room facing forward. Number 52, your human lamington is ready.
Catch the winner of the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival Comedy Award and winner of Most Outstanding Show at the Melbourne Comedy Festival – Sam Simmons, at the Brunswick Picture House Thursday–Sunday
Tickets from brunswickpicturehouse.com
The sonic soul of South America
Felipe Baldomir is an Indie-Folk singer and songwriter from Uruguay, South America. He is a multi-instrumentalist musical architect, who takes his audience on soulful sonic journeys.
Through his music he shares his reflections on people and places, on moments and memories. While listening you discover each song is a love letter to the person or place that inspired the creation of each melody. Since releasing his debut album, Nature Speaks in 2017, Felipe has toured the South American region, playing at festivals and gigs in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. Even supporting Milky Chance on their last tour of Latin America.
Before arriving in Australia, Felipe toured Indonesia, performing at iconic venues such as Old Mans, The Cashew Tree, and Deus Temple. Since arriving in Sydney in 2018 he has converted a van into a rolling home and studio and has been performing around the country.
He is currently based in Byron Bay and has been touring, supporting and performing alongside Jack Botts, Tay Oskee, The Dreggs, Kyle Lionhart, Dusty Boots and Ben Camden – and can be seen regularly sharing his music as part of the vibrant Byron busking community.
Only Light is his new album, about finding peace and freedom in this wild world we find ourselves in, and finding solace in nature – as his song says: dancing in the sun, toes full of sand. Felipe plays the Hotel Great Northern on Saturday.
Tickets from thenorthern.com.au
Cheeky Cabaret
Nearly five years on Cheeky has redefined a night out at the theatre, smashing together circus, vaudeville, comedy, new burlesque and everything in between. People continue to talk about the Cheeky and its surprise package of some of the most incredible international artists from around the world. Sexy and dangerous, with tongue placed firmly in cheek, this is one party you will not want to miss! The Cheeky has rightfully become the talk of the town – it’s circus like you’ve never seen before. This genre-bending cabaret is cheeky, clever and damn sexy, celebrating the weird, the wonderful and the wildly entertaining, leaving audiences gasping for more.
The Cheeky features a different cast of troubadours, miscreants, delectable divas and cabaret queens every month, so no two shows are ever the same! You’ll leave spellbound, titillated and amazed. As always, bring grandma but leave the little ones at home.
Wednesday 13–Saturday 14 January, 9pm. Brunswickpicturehouse.com
Mental Health First Aid
Vanessa Mitchell of Larry Laughs Loud has been championing comedy in the region for a lot of the up and coming funny people. But it’s not all laughs for Vanessa.
‘We love being able to make people laugh and forget about the world for a few hours, but for some people that’s not enough. Not everybody is laughing on the inside.’
Mental Health First Aid is about developing skills and confidence to assist your friends, family, colleagues, neighbours… even strangers, who may be at risk of developing a mental health issue or experiencing a worsening of an existing mental health issue.
It’s something we all need to talk more about.
Mental health issues are real medical conditions, just like physical health conditions.
Keen to know more? Give Vanessa Mitchell a call on 0413 558 200 or email [email protected] to register.
*This is not a counselling or support session. For support, contact Lifeline on 131114 or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636 or visit www.headtohealth.gov.au
Music at the movies
This week, The Regent in Murwillumbah takes on a musical bent with Crock of Gold: A few Rounds with Shane MacGowan on Friday. Crock of Gold is the brand new rock doc exploring the wild ride that is the life of legendary Pogues frontman, Shane MacGowan. There will be a prize for the best dressed punk! Saturday it’s The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart. It chases the story of the triumphs and hurdles of the iconic trio, who found early fame in the 1960s, went on to write over 1,000 songs and have twenty No.1 hits throughout their career, outlasting more than five decades of changing tastes and styles. And of course it’s disco dress up, and there will be a prize for best dressed – time to whip out the satin flares! Sunday it’s a singalong session with The Greatest Showman, from 6pm. If you don’t know the story – it’s about American showman P.T. Barnum, founder of the circus that became the famous traveling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. And this time it’s a prize for best dressed in circus costume.
To book tickets, or find out more, go to the-regent.com.au.
Enjoy everything you love about summer in one sweet weekend.
Soak up the sun during the day and head lakeside at HOTA for an epic line-up of ice cream and desserts with world-class circus, splash play, live music, and even a mermaid or two. BYO floaties and sunscreen and enjoy those summer feels.
We’re diving in with some of Australia’s best circus companies premiering new works especially created for outdoor and pop-up spaces.
Watch as Company 2 string up a tight-rope over the water; see Circa dazzle the crowds with their spectacle that is Collider; marvel as Flipside Circus bring the Summer Play Factor to wow the kids; and delight as Hoopla Clique mix food and circus.
And for those seeking summer fun with a bit of sizzle, you’ll want to join us as the sun sets for Club SCOOP! – an evening program of zany sideshows, cocktails and craft beers, where the naughty side of circus and cocktails collide, featuring performances from Thicc Shake Crew, The Space Cowboy, and other special guests.
With a giant Ferris Wheel and the Surfers Paradise Skyline as the biggest and best backdrop, day or night, SCOOP! is the answer to your summertime cravings.
Friday 15 – Sunday 17 January
Magic Theatre
Have you ever had the feeling things are simply not as they seem? Well, The Magic Theatre are promising to unravel some mysteries that will have you embarking upon a hero’s journey to illumination!
Illuminarium: Escape from the Dreamspell is an immersive storytelling escape room experience for 2-6 participants (players under 14 must be accompanied by an adult). You have exactly one hour to decipher codes, open secret chambers, and solve puzzles to unlock the mysteries and escape from the dreamspell!
Multiple sessions running Monday–Friday until 29 January at The Strumpet Salon in Lismore.
For more information, or to book, visit themagictheatre.com.au/illuminarium.
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