Women Like Us: Mandy Nolan & Ellen Briggs
Two of Australia’s funniest and most loved comedians have joined together this Fringe in a show that offers so much laughing it’s described as an “ab workout”. Feeling like a bit of a workout myself, I ditched the gym and chatted with these ladies instead.
SAT: Welcome ladies! And please don’t work me too hard…
WLU: M: That’s what my last husband said.
WLU: E: We’re middle aged women. All we do is work people hard.
SAT: Do you mind telling us about yourselves? (starting off easy as I warm up)
WLU: M: I’m the really hot one. Not sexy. Just menopausal. Actually I’m not menopausal I just think it’s funny. We do that. Make jokes about ourselves for laughs. And our kids. And our husbands. Anyone in our orbit in fact.
WLU: E: I’m the short frumpy one that loves dogs. I’m looking forward to the day when I am able to stay on my farm with 100 dogs and not ever leave. I also have kids and use them to make jokes – why else would you have them?
SAT: You have been nominated for “Best Comedy” at FringeWorld 2018 and have many excellent reviews. We’re thrilled you’re here at Adelaide Fringe. Could you tell us more about your show?
WLU: M: Two middle aged women talking about their lives. Clearly we’ve experienced a lot of disappointments, resentments, heartbreaks and let downs. So we’ve got twice the material of most comics half our age. And sadly half as much time to make our mark on the world.
WLU: E: And being women, we probably get paid half as much too.
SAT: You call yourselves “the bogan woman’s thinking woman and the thinking woman’s bogan”. That sounds like something for everyone! Does your show appeal to men too?
WLU: M: Totally. Men love us. Well men who get women. Men who hate women got the vote, have equal pay, and call the shots can stay in the car.
WLU: E: Men really love the fact that we’re not married to them. We are like a cheap marriage counselling session – they really see the good in their partners after watching us.
SAT: You cover all sorts of topics, many of which people are embarrassed to admit to or talk about. Are you able to give us a few examples?
WLU: M: Brazillian wax gone wrong, labioplasty. Ellen talks a lot about ballsacks. She’ll tell you a bit more. If she went on mastermind and they asked her special subject it would be ballsacks.
WLU: E: Ballsacks are the unsung hero of the male body. They’re hilarious, they age terribly, they are sensitive and pretty ugly. I love a good ballsack story and living with 3 men, a male dog and all male cattle on our farm, I see a lot of ballsacks and they don’t scare me anymore.
SAT: You are each successful and accomplished in your own right. Why did you decide to join forces and create this show?
WLU: M: Because we both love murder podcasts and caramel slices. It’s lonely being a comedian on your own. It’s great to have someone to share the journey with – and we have the same audience so it just made sense to double the trouble.
WLU: E: Mandy is not the best driver in the world and so I decided I wanted to keep her safe and join forces so I could do most of the driving. Also, our comedy really works together to make an awesome show. I am quite laconic and slow on stage (and in life) and Mandy is like a machine gun. Even though our topics are often similar, our methods in getting there are very different.
SAT: “Mandy Nolan is hilarious with a wicked sense of humour!” Olivia Newton-John
“Ellen’s comedy is hilarious, real, refreshing, honest, & hysterical!” Taryn Brumfitt
These are fantastic comments. The Grease fan in me has to ask; have you met Olivia Newton John?
WLU:M: Yes I have and I have to say she’s fricking awesome! Just a really open funny amazing woman – I’ve met her several times and been a special guest at her private parties. She just glows with beauty – from the inside out. She’s radiant. And everyone adores her for good reason – she’s the poster girl for charisma.
WLU: E: No. I’ve never been invited to one of her stupid private parties.
SAT: Your show is at the Wine Centre. Is this a coincidence or careful planning?
WLU: M: A fabulous coincidence! Wine would be my special subject on Mastermind.
WLU: E: It’s also airconditioned. That’s really important to us and our audience. A hot tent at a festival is not conducive to a comfortable audience of 200 women hot flushing.
SAT: You have 7 children between you (ah, now I understand the venue choice)…..does raising children provide inspiration for your show?
WLU:M: Well making mistakes raising them certainly does. I have 5 and wow, have I stuffed that up. The vegan eats meat and none of them realise that you pay rent more than once.
WLU: E: Of course. I can’t see any other reason you’d have them.
SAT: What are you hoping your audiences will take away with them after seeing your show?
WLU: M: Our book. Our sense of wonder with our ordinary lives and the realisation at the end of the day we are all connected.
WLU: E: Their rubbish and a good dose of endorphins from laughing for 2 hours. Also the realisation that not being perfect is the new black.
SAT: What do you have planned after the Adelaide Fringe?
WLU: M: A plane trip home to tidy up. We were going to have a cocaine binge with hookers and swanky hotels, but the most we could manage was a berocca, the post man and a budget inn.
WLU: E: What??? I thought we had the hookers and cocaine organised??
Women Like Us is showing on February 16 & 17 at
Exhibition Hall at The National Wine Centre,
Cnr Hackney and Botanic Rd, Adelaide
