Celeste Barber: Fine, Thanks ~ The Jester’s Privilege

I agree, Celeste Barber. It was fine, thanks.

Unlike most comedians I review, Barber’s main thrust in entertainment isn’t stand-up. Studying acting in college and going on to star in Australian TV and movies in recent years, she didn’t get into the comedy scene until after her career took off. However, after amassing sold out audiences at premier comedy festivals in Sydney and Adelaide, as well as nearly 10 million followers on Instagram partly through satirizing celebrity photos, she has a knack for making a lot of people (that isn’t Emily Ratajkowski) laugh.

Now we have “Fine, Thanks”, her first televised special. Very early on in the special, the acting-first comedy-second aspect of her approach came through, as a lot of her punchlines relied on facial expressions and mannerisms rather than the material alone. When the response to “What do you want from the store?” is “Let me get six Twix and four Mars Bars,” it’s a slightly off-kilter but overall, not an off the wall request. Pair it with a gremlin voice, a double-chin face, and dancing that I’d call “The Drunk Aunt trying to do Michael Jackson,” and Sydney ate that shit up.

As far as the material went, it was all over the board, which made sense later when she revealed she has ADHD. Barber starts the show of how much she got tired of her partner of nearly 20 years during the COVID lockdown, and I rolled my eyes at the 27th telling of this same joke. Then she talked about her neurodivergence, or rather others claim to neurodivergence, as well as a very specific product she has been sent to promote, two bits I enjoyed thoroughly. Though not consistent, she threw many darts at the wall, and a decent amount of them stuck for me.

Outside of that, there’s not much else to say. It’s a good time, not super long, and outside of the first ten minutes or so, she has solid material for the most part. Cut from a Whitney Cummings/Jen Kirkman cloth, I think plenty of people will connect with her attitude mixed with her brand of physical comedy.

If you enjoy the special, I hope you comment and thank my review. And if you listen to Barber’s words, I hope you thank Lily Allen for her contribution as well.

6/10