Austin Harrison
Me ’n’ Ma is a wholesome and delightful addition to this year’s Comedy Festival. We are welcomed into the space by a beaming Hamish Parkinson who offers popcorn and lemonade on the way to our seats. He greets every audience member with warmth and gratitude, setting the tone for the heart-warming 55 minutes ahead.
The stage is simply set with a couch and a small side-table for drinks and popcorn. Hamish begins to warm up the crowd with a vibrant energy which seems to be channeling some genuine nerves, and we shortly discover why. He is about to bring out Lynette Parkinson who, we discover, is not a performer but a regular Mum. More specifically, Hamish’s mum. After a grand entrance the show is made up of fun and often embarrassing family stories shared between a lovely mother and son duo. Reminiscent of Jack Whitehall’s Travel With My Father, the show becomes a joyful display Hamish and Lynette’s relationship and a test of Hamish’s onstage comfort as a seasoned performer, against his mother’s carefree overshare of everything from death to ex-boyfriends and sex. I don’t envy Hamish having to sit and listening to stories about his Mum’s sex life, but it is very fun to watch!
Lynette seems right at home on stage, and happy to share anything and everything with her son and with us. Hamish does a lovely job of chipping in to control the pace of the show. Mid way through I felt the show begin to lose momentum, falling into similar patterns of storytelling, but just as I notice this, Hamish kicks off a series of planned gags and segments which help push the show into another gear. This is clearly a brave and well-thought out show. The Parkinson duo put their relationship right on stage and over the course of the show, you can’t help but feel like part of the family.
This is a show with some great gags and beautiful manipulated tension, but above all it is a show about family. If you want a wholesome, heart-warming and fun evening out this week, then I can’t recommend Me ’n’ Ma enough!
Me ’n’ Ma is on a BATS 21-25 May in the Heyday Dome at BATS Theatre. Grab your tickets on the BATS site, or for more information on other shows in NZ International Comedy Fest, visit the NZICF website.
Lynette seems right at home on stage, and happy to share anything and everything with her son and with us. Hamish does a lovely job of chipping in to control the pace of the show. Mid way through I felt the show begin to lose momentum, falling into similar patterns of storytelling, but just as I notice this, Hamish kicks off a series of planned gags and segments which help push the show into another gear. This is clearly a brave and well-thought out show. The Parkinson duo put their relationship right on stage and over the course of the show, you can’t help but feel like part of the family.
This is a show with some great gags and beautiful manipulated tension, but above all it is a show about family. If you want a wholesome, heart-warming and fun evening out this week, then I can’t recommend Me ’n’ Ma enough!
Me ’n’ Ma is on a BATS 21-25 May in the Heyday Dome at BATS Theatre. Grab your tickets on the BATS site, or for more information on other shows in NZ International Comedy Fest, visit the NZICF website.