Endings. Are they always bad? That’s the question Sashi Perera wants to answer.
A lot of what drives her interest in this area is the endings she’s experienced in several of her relationships.
Like the one she opens the show with. I didn’t realise people actually bailed on their wedding three days before the event, for no apparent reason. But they do.
And you know those people at parties who like to name drop the celebrities they stood next to at the Woolies checkout as if they’re best buddies? Well, Perera name drops countries. Egypt. Pakistan. Western Australia.
Through her work as a refugee lawyer, she took on contracts for the UN and NGOs. This travelling around gives her lots of exotic backdrops for her stories, though she focuses on relationships.
Either the ones that ended or the ones that should have ended sooner but went on way too long. (Trust me, if the same person gives you chlamydia twice, your relationship has been going on too long.)
Perera punctuates her anecdotes with comedic takes on songs, including the classic song for relationships that have just ended, I Will Always Love You.
While Perera has an impressive comedic comedy record, including being a two-time RAW Comedy Vic finalist, this is her debut show.
For the first 10 minutes of the show, Perera used a lot of hesitations or filler words: “Um,” “You know,” and so on. This gave the audience the impression she lacked confidence.
But as she realised the audience loved her, the fillers vanished. She thrives on interaction with the audience, involving us in singing or engaging us in conversations.
While her show was about endings, Perera is at the beginning of her career. And we can hope it will be a long time before it’s over.
Sashi Perera: Endings
Tea Room – Chinese Museum, 22 Cohen Place, Melbourne
Performance: Sunday 2 April 2023 – 5.30pm
Season continues to 9 April 2023
Information and Bookings: www.comedyfestival.com.au
Image: Sashi Perera (supplied)
Review: Daniel G. Taylor