MICHELLE BRASIER: REFORM COMES TO NEWCASTLE
Have you ever ended up being the emergency contact for a stranger who tried to scam you out of your money? No? Michelle Brasier has.
Edinburgh Festival Favourite and “the girl one” from Aunty Donna’s online viral sketches, Michelle Brasier is delighted to be bringing her show to Newcastle. Following a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Festivalin August 23, Reform will play at the The Stand on Saturday 18th May 2024.
Reform is a cautionary tale laced with friendship, radical empathy, redemption, kindness and understanding of those who have done us wrong. This theatrical hour of storytelling and original music has audiences cringing at every naïve exchange between victim and conman and shouting ‘No! Stop!’ before being swept along for the ride and completely understanding how this unique relationship developed. In Michelle’s words, it’s about “seeing the best in people even though they’re probably, mostly sh*t.”
During lockdown, Michelle went looking for a Pilates reformer online. What she found was Jacob, a young man out to con unsuspecting victims of their money. This is a true story of an online scam, but it’s not one whereby the witty comic takes down the swindler and gives him a telling off through the medium of jokes. Oh no. When the exercise equipment didn’t show up, Michelle didn’t call the police, instead she gave her scammer the opportunity to open up. Curious as to how a person ends up a scammer, Michelle, a stand-out archetype of the ‘caring woman’ took an active interest in Jacob who was surprised at how much he really just needed someone to talk to.
Backed musically by Tim Lancaster, Michelle firmly keeps the gripping narrative at the forefront of the show, peppering it with plenty of dramatic twists and genuinely surprising details as the hour reaches its unexpected climax. Reform is not only inspiring but unbelievably true.
On the other side of the world, Michelle Brasier is fast becoming a household name.She isa core/lead cast member of ‘We Interrupt This Broadcast’ on channel 7, she voices several characters in ‘Koala Man’, the new adult animated comedy series, alongside Hugh Jackman, Sarah Snook and Jemaine Clement (Fox/Disney) and wrote episodes for and voiced characters in Yolo Crystal Fantasy (HBO MAX). She was also a main cast member of Shaun Micallef’s ‘Mad As Hell’ on ABC. Michelle is a long-term collaborator with comedy group extraordinaire, Aunty Donna and featured in both ‘Aunty Donna’s Big Ol House Of Fun’on Netflix and new series, ‘Aunty Donna’s Coffee Café’ on ABC. Michelle is also known to UK comedy fans as one half of the comedy two-hander Double Denim, alongside Laura Frew and her previous solo show Average Bear had a sell-out run at London’s Soho Theatre with a standing ovation at the end of the show every night of the run when she was last in the UK earlier this year.
More Praise for Reform at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2022
“A high watermark of comedy... Not just one of the funniest shows of this festival season, but easily one of the kindest” ★★★★ ½ Sydney Morning Herald
“A brilliant (true) story… only made better with added singing, hilariously saucy dancing, and mountains of laughs thanks to Michelle Brasier’s excellent delivery… (a) bloody brilliant show… a rollicking good – and heckin’ wild – ride” Scenestr
★★★★ The Age
MICHELLE BRASIER: REFORM
The Stand Comedy Club, 31 High Bridge, NE1 1EW
Saturday 18th May 2024
https://www.thestand.co.uk/performance/16859/michelle-brasier-reform/20240518/newcastle