Desiree Burch – The Golden Wrath

If the Melbourne International Comedy Festival gave awards for best use of metaphor and simile, there would no competition for Desiree Burch. Literary devices flow out of Burch so rapidly that they appear casual, even ad-hoc. But improvising symbolism this good just isn’t possible. There’s something so perfect about recasting the womb as a nightclub, with a sellout party once a month, and grungy happy hours to keep the business ticking over until the next cycle begins.

Imagery as colourful as this abounds in Burch’s The Golden Wrath, an hour of revealing and personal observational comedy about the unexpectedly menopause-like experience of perimenopause. The analogies Burch draws are not only extremely funny but also illuminating, rendering a subject with the potential to alienate a significant swathe of the audience far more accessible.

There’s plenty beyond perimenopause for the blessedly uninitiated to sink their teeth into. From Baby Boomers to Generation Alpha, ABBA to Tupac, baldness to hair care, Burch addresses both sides of many a black-and-white issue, giving every audience member the chance to laugh uncontrollably while revelling in the feeling of being seen.