By Elyce Phillips
Alice Snedden and Donna Brookbanks have had some success in the world of improv, both performing with New Zealand improv group Snort. In Please Stop Clapping, Snedden and Brookbanks split the bill, each performing a set of stand-up. It’s a promising hour of comedy, with some real gems but also some room for improvement.
First up is Snedden, who is bold and confident in her stage presence and launches right into material about her boobs. The audience is a little hesitant at first, but they soon get on-board as Snedden continues on to talk about her quirky family and odd upbringing. Here, Snedden is in her element, and her material about her mother is a real stand-out. Snedden delivers her jokes with a likeable looseness that wins you over. It’s a good first half that leaves the audience ready for more.
Brookbanks takes over for the second half, and brings a different energy to the room. Her stand-up is frenetic and anxiety-filled, talking about the struggles of being single and the difficulties of going to parties. The jokes are well-delivered, but the perspective is not a unique one. Brookbanks’ desperate-for-a-boyfriend routine goes down an often-travelled path and while there is some fun to be had with this nervous persona, it’s not pushed hard enough to shine through as a strong piece of character comedy.
Snedden and Brookbanks get some great laughs in Please Stop Clapping and it is clear that both are talented comedians, however, both have some work to do to refine their comedic voices. The high points in this show prove that Snedden and Brookbanks have a lot of promise, and it won’t be long until they’re smashing it out of the park.
Alice Snedden and Donna Brookbanks – Please Stop Clapping is on at the Victoria Hotel Acacia room until April 23
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/please-stop-clapping