“You have got to be careful what you hear.”
As a firm believer that everyone has a message for her, this is a sentiment Lara Ricote doesn’t take lightly, further so with her being hard of hearing. But for an hour it’s the audience whose ears are tested, in a show where the aim is to understand 65 per cent, just like Ricote in her day-to-day life. This target is certainly met as she splutters incomprehensibly fast-paced dialogue nicknamed “clumps,” putting an entertaining and unusual spin on the show. Beginning with messages from the Oracle of Delphi, Ricote interweaves stories from recent years of her life, ranging from couples counselling, to museums, to New York.
At the heart of INKLING’s success is Lara Ricote herself. For most of the hour she is practically vibrating with passion, jumping from one focus to the next, full of high spirits and opinions. She yaps, she casts judgement, she reels off sarcasm, giving all her energy to each. Her ability for hysterical accents and impressions, mainly including flailing hand gestures, has no bounds, to the extent that it would be bordering on disturbing if she weren’t so bubbly and charismatic. She contrasts this with almost heartbreaking vulnerability and honesty, expertly crafted into song and sign language, because why not? While standups always lay themselves bare, Ricote takes it to a whole new level – becoming “a true naked baby.” The entire show feels effortlessly natural because she shows us her whole self and celebrates it, a wonderful conclusion to many of the confusions she shares early in the performance.
INKLING is also a beautiful celebration of the art of standup itself, as Ricote unpacks her own jokes, acknowledges every sip (or dribble) of water and shouts every stage direction: “EYEROLL BLACKOUT.” It is abundantly clear how much joy the show brings to her, which the audience absorbs and reflects to make for a true gem of comedy.
If this hasn’t been enough of a message for you, let me clarify – you need to go see Lara Ricote, before she goes too far and you can only understand one per cent of the show.
Lara Ricote: INKLING is showing until 30 August at Monkey Barrel Comedy. Buy tickets here.
Image by Pip, provided to The Student as press material.
