Claudia O’Doherty may have won a host of awards at the Melbourne International comedy festival this year, but it’s really hard not to think it must have been a very quiet year.
In her defence she is comedic Marmite: some will find her adorable and highly entertaining and certainly no one could accuse her of lacking in originality. But fail to get behind her frankly bizarre comedy routine about being the sole survivor of Aquaplex (a giant under water city, were she trained as a dolphin handler) and your in for a very, very long hour indeed.
The world of Aquaplex has lots of comedic potential, as the audience are taken on a guided tour complete with dream boxes, giant squids, facts about dolphin ejaculations and a horrific monster called Blim Blam.
Combining stand up, musical numbers and crowd participation, O’Doherty is a law unto herself and the audience are split right down the middle as to who finds it funny, loudly chuckling along, and those who are completely bewildered by just what on Earth they are watching.
Her delivery of lines manages to pull out a few laughs to even the most confused member of the audience and there is a lot to commend about her stage presence as she excitedly talks about how she eventually managed to come to visit dry land. But, by the time she reveals just how she did it, many seem to be beyond caring.
2/5 
Martin Miller
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