If you’re not prepared to get roasted, then Aurelia St Clair’s show probably isn’t for you — and that’s exactly how St Clair wants it. Avid TikTok users probably already know the comedian from her videos giving painfully accurate assessments of Melbourne suburbs, and her new show, I Said What I Said, is essentially a long-form version of these videos, with a bit of new material sprinkled throughout.
She opens up with a fast rundown of who the show isn’t for – and the list is pharmaceutical drug ad-level long. It includes people who start sentences with “I’m not a racist but…” and people who go 40 in a 60 zone. It’s obviously a joke, but the spirit of it is true: St Clair knows exactly who she wants to attract with her comedy and who should stay away.
From there, she offers up game-show-style tests to help the audience come to terms with clichés that they might exemplify or to figure out whether or not they’re cancelled. Every line is delivered in her trademark sarcastic tone and cheeky mocking grin, and while it’s confronting, it’s also pretty spot-on. She’s also not afraid to turn that mockery on herself, and it puts the audience at ease when she gives them permission to laugh or points out that she, too, embodies many of these same stereotypes.
With every observation, you'll wonder whether anything you’ve ever done is even remotely original. As long as you leave your ego by the door, it's a pretty fun 50-minute ride – although the set is basically an extension of her TikTok and lacked some desired freshness.
Want to know which shows have us LOLing in the aisles this year? Check out our guide to Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2022.
