Gillian Cosgriff: Actually, Good.
Cabaret Bar at Pleasance Courtyard. 8.20pm (1hr) Ticket Price: £15
I felt a wave of nostalgia standing in the queue waiting to get into the Cabaret Bar to see Gillian Cosgriff. I used to travel through to the Festival regularly in my youth but for various reasons hadn't done so in years. The Pleasance was buzzing, the Courtyard packed with a thousand conversations, every bench taken temporarily between shows, the place a petri dish of different cultures (and other infections). It's an excellent space for comedian spotting. We'd already seen Nabil Abdulrashid leaving the venue, Mark Watson standing alone near the Cellar and Marcus Brigstock talking posh with a crowd of friends/fans.
I'd never seen any clips of Gill before but figured anyone who'd won the Golden Gibbo and Most Outstanding Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year was worth a punt. Five-star reviews from the Scotsman and Chortle helped too.
She describes herself as an actor, singer, writer, musician, composer, comedian and procrastinator who lives in Naarm (Melbourne). I'd describe her as an Australian Victoria Wood or a female Tim Minchin in that she writes and performs clever comedy songs and crafts a witty narrative to bond the show together. She's confident and engaging and creates a warm atmosphere in the room (okay that might be down to the poor air conditioning).
The core of this show is her telling us about her top ten favourite things in a joyous affirmation about everything good in life. She pre-empts these admissions by asking us to share our own top ten, one at a time, from 10 to 1, and we volunteer things like 'eating the last dollop of a good sauce from the plate with your finger' (at 9), 'sex dungeon Halloween party' (at 5) and 'watching kids play in a den of their own making' (at 1). Comedian Lara Ricote, who was in the audience with her family, called out no 6: 'watching old people eating ice cream' (Lara has a distinctive laugh and, by the sound of it, found the show very funny - which it was). Gillian writes our suggestions into her Top Tens book, each page a record of every show she's performed (making it available for anyone to peruse after the show), then tells us her favourite things, each one building a narrative about her life, revealing a theme at the end.
It is an entertaining hour, leaving you feeling optimistic despite the message being that life boils down to two things: Now and Death. It's what you choose to do will all the Nows that makes life good.
I was delighted with my choice to see this show.
What are your top ten best things in life?
Mine -
10. Discovering a new flavour of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream
09. Getting through a day at work without feeling exhausted afterwards
08. Driving to Edinburgh, ignoring the sat nav directions and finding the perfect free parking spot yards from the venue.
07. Dextrously catching a falling object that otherwise would smash
06. Writing an inconsequential joke into a story, then using it later for a greater purpose
05. Watching my dog do zoomies, leading the other dogs who can't catch her
04. Getting a great view at a gig not surrounded by idiots
03. Enjoying time in the company of friends
02. Having a new idea for a story and unlocking all its potential
01: Saying something funny to make my wife laugh, like I do.
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