Vanessa Larry Mitchell @ The Star Court in Lismore
Last night, I headed out with my niece Karran to see local comedian, Vanessa Larry Mitchell perform live, and she was in absolute top form. If I’m being entirely honest, I’ve now seen her live quite a few times over the years, and I genuinely hope she doesn’t think I’m a stalker! Don’t worry Vanessa : I’m not a crazy 60 year old straight man chasing after you. I’m definitely a gold star gay!
As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, I first saw her at the Northern Rivers Hotel in Lismore years ago hosting a comedy showcase, where I somehow ended up being the butt of her jokes as “the guy from Surry Hills” despite being born and bred in South Lismore.
When I saw her again at the Sydney Comedy Festival, she looked right at me and said, “I know your face.” And when I saw her perform recently at the Sydney Fringe Festival, sure enough, I was once again singled out and played along.
Last night I was the Lismore guy, who lives in Surry Hills, but was back in Lismore. We were far enough back in the theatre to avoid being the audience interaction guests.
The show last night was a brilliant “best of” compilation, featuring a fantastic mix of material I’d seen previously alongside some brand-new bits that had the entire room in stitches.
Her humour is wonderfully uncompromising—unapologetically female, fiercely authentic, and at times refreshingly graphic in its unfiltered honesty about sex, dating, and relationships. It’s that fearless approach to storytelling that makes her work so magnetic and powerful.
The theatre was completely packed to the rafters, and looking around the room, I’d estimate that roughly 90% of the audience were women. It always makes me think—I honestly wish more men would step up and go out to see her shows, because they are completely missing out on an incredible, sharply intelligent, and hilarious experience.
Catching her perform in Sydney is always a massive treat, though it’s always fun to remember how uniquely tailored her sets can be depending on the postcode. When she does a show back home in Lismore, she can lean into being much more “local,” dropping regional jokes and specific shared references that people in other locations probably wouldn’t understand, but we all did instantly.
It’s clear from her performance she loves Lismore even though she wasn’t born here. She’s lived here for 16 years, including stints as someone working in the disability industry.
At the end of the night, after laughing until my ribs hurt, I popped over to grab a souvenir cup and had a quick, lovely chat with her about when she’ll be performing next in Sydney. She gave me the inside scoop on her upcoming date —even if the official contract hasn’t quite been signed yet—and I’ve already popped a note straight into my diary so I don’t miss out. Here’s hoping she doesn’t mind seeing this familiar face in the crowd again very soon!
