Josh Cake could be a couple of things: a man, a brown person, an Australian. Too bad all those labels are scams. But Big Josh (who’ll take any pronoun you give them) loves to win – and they’re definitely onto a winner with her tight 50-minute musical comedy about just how scammy the world really is.
First, Cake gaslights you into believing there are magical mountains and wind, with the help of their tinkling electric piano. Then, he delightfully sets out the rules for the show: you’ve paid for her to make jokes for an hour, so it’s not your turn to talk. This clarity is a nice touch for those of us who forget the rules sometimes (whether we mean to or not).
Cake makes accessibility a priority, and incorporates it into the show without drawing too much attention to it: a visual tour of the space becomes a delightful interlude between songs, and warnings are calmly, clearly given before a potentially traumatic story is told.
Cake is a warm, inclusive storyteller, with a great sense of pacing that makes the 50 minutes fly by. They have a gentle, encouraging, demeanour that made a small audience interact and giggle like they were in a room full of people. It’s no mean feat to bring this much warmth into a tiny room – and Josh’s sometimes dark but always appropriate sense of humour, and ability to read people, makes it seem like a breeze.
I won’t spoil the conclusion for you, but the well-drawn arc from gender, nationality, race and violence is also particularly satisfying in Gender is a Scam. Take a chance on the Tasma Terrace, and while you’re at it grab a couple of tickets to see some comics you might not have heard of. You won’t regret it.
Catch Gender is a Scam and I am Winning at Tasma Terrace from April 8-21, as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. You can find out more or secure some tickets here.
