By Lisa Clark
Without hardly trying, Chloe got every comedian’s dream – their own show on TV, even more, she also got every sports lovers dream show, she was hosting her own sports show on a sports channel on TV. She was having a ball until she was attacked by the online trolls. People who didn’t know her were criticising her for her voice, her looks, her gender and her sexuality, when like us all she’s still trying to work herself out. Though she’s not wringing her hands or weeping at us about it, it has clearly been a very disturbing experience for someone who was never bullied about such things at school.
Chloe opens the show with an amusing glossary, a list of unusual terms that will appear in the show, giving us their meaning, so that we all understand them when they happen. As she explains the terms, the glossary starts to bleed into the show proper in which she braids several stories and ideas together, including tales from highschool contrasting with tales from her job in television. When the words from the glossary appear, they get a laugh despite not always being part of a punchline.
Chloe Petts has a very jolly, friendly demeanour, promising a “loose night” but as someone who has wrangled crowds in the UK, she is extremely adept at crowd work and dealing with any potential trouble makers. No one messes with Chloe, which could be why she was not bullied at school. She and her friendliness keep everyone onside, even when picking on audience members that might be getting a little boisterous, and her wit and dry humour keep the audience laughing.
Chloe Petts performs How You See Me, How You Don’t at the Melbourne Town Hall til April 20.