Lizzy Hoo has been busy, with the release of her first comedy special 12 months ago, plenty of TV appearances and getting the call to host the festival’s esteemed gala this year. Not to mention, she turned 40 and bought a house with her long-term partner who she then split from, all in the same year. So, she’s got plenty to unpack.
Her mid-week evening show is packed out, but she saunters around on stage (wearing a hilariously tacky ‘Melbourne’ tourist T-shirt) and fires off witty quips with casual ease. She has the same cheeky grin as always, but you can feel that she’s cemented as a seasoned comedy pro.
Hoo doesn’t hold back in her show this year and delves into a can of worms that’s brand new for her: sex and dating. She’s recently single, keen to mingle and ready to dish salacious stories from her self-proclaimed cougar era (or Hoo-gar, as her friends have dubbed her). While romantic misadventures and dating apps certainly aren’t new fodder for comics, Hoo offers some fresh and funny perspectives, as a woman getting back on the market in the modern dating era of Hinge prompts and prolific ghosting. She unabashedly and refreshingly owns it, and it definitely makes for some great material.
But Hoo’s comedy isn’t confined to the saucy tales of her romantic (or not so romantic) pursuits, she covers off plenty of other life tidbits too, with a side of taboos. Within the space of one laughter-filled hour, there’s a fondly-recounted story of a flasher, a tale of when she had a (literally) shitty time while on live radio and an MDMA-fuelled house party filled with 40-year-old mums. She delivers it all with a dryness and interspersed chuckles that make the jokes even funnier. The crowd loves her and for good reason – no matter the subject matter, she brings an upfront realness that is super relatable and not to mention, very funny.
Hoo's That Girl? is playing at the Victoria Hotel's Banquet Room until April 21 – find out more here.
