This is Nina’s debut comedy festival show. There’s a bucket-load of potential here but it’s early days and she’s not living up to it just yet.
She had a good audience size of about 25 given it’s her first show at the festival thanks to appearances on Utopia and Tonightly, I presume. I got the feeling the audience was urging her on; we wanted her skill to match her undeniable enthusiasm.
Nina stumbled along the way, just in the way you’d expect from someone trying something bloody difficult for the first time, but the source material of formative years living in Bathurst and racking up 13 driving offenses was a goldmine she often tapped effectively.
I hate to get too armchair psychologist about it but I suspect the person Nina needs to believe she’s good at stand-up is Nina herself. More than once she put herself down with comments like, “don’t worry, this will be over soon”. They were throw-away lines but they were reflections of self-doubt that reminded us she wasn’t always nailing it.
I reckon in about five or ten years we’ll be talking about Nina in the way we talk about the likes of Celia Pacquola. For now the potential is there, she just needs loads more flying hours ‘til we’re safe in her hands, and she trusts that we’re safe in her hands.