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Nelly’s Latest Show
NELLY THOMAS IN 'I COULDA BEEN A SAILOR'
As part of the Melbourne International Comedy festival
March 24-April 18, 8.15pm, Melbourne Town Hall
**** The Age Newspaper, 3 APRIL 2010
Helen Razer in The Age
With all the moxie of an RSL barmaid and the library card of a research fellow, Nelly Thomas has emerged to talk about nothing slighter than the trials of her generation... She’s erudite, earthy and entirely unemployable.
Helen Razer on City Search, 30 MARCH 2010
There's just no explaining certain phenomena. Why do galaxies not fall apart under the weight of dark matter? Why is A Current Affair still on television? And why, more to the point, is dear Nelly Thomas not an enormous star? With the moxie of a babe who cut her teeth doing RSL floor shows and the “edge” of an “alternative comedian, Thomas is a beguiling fusion of old with new. Much, much more importantly, she's really very funny.Shout this best kept secret of the Melbourne comedy circuit to your mates.
Full review
John Richards on Aussietheatre.com, 5 APRIL 2010
If things had been slightly different, Nelly Thomas could have been a sailor. Or a manager of a fast-food chicken franchise. Or a BMX champion... Like all of us, Thomas has had many roles in life, with many roads and options that she did and didn’t take. I Coulda Been A Sailor is essentially an onstage biography that will connect with anyone who ever wondered where they were going in life.
Thomas has a warm, engaging delivery that feels like chatting with a friend. Her life story becomes fascinating through her skill in connecting to the audience and her deft turn of phrase. I Coulda Been A Sailor also incorporates an effective theatrical device in the re-enactment of certain moments with award-winning performer Kate McLennan (Debutante Diaries, Beaconsfield: The Musical, Dogstar). ...
Nelly Thomas is rehearsed, confident, and extremely funny. I Coulda Been A Sailor will make you consider all the choices you’ve made in your own life and hopefully – like Thomas – you’ll come out happy with where you are.
Nelly Thomas coulda been a sailor. Luckily for us she became a comedian. See this show.
Full review
Annette Slattery in Australian Comedy Review, 2 APRIL 2010
I am yet to be disappointed by any Australian woman at this year’s comedy festival. Nelly Thomas is no exception. This is a show about options and what the hell to do with them...This is a really enjoyable, very funny show. I defy anyone to not be taken in by the charm of this story and of these two performers. You’d be struggling to be disappointed by it.
Full review
Stand-up Reviews:
"Instantly likeable"
The Age Newspaper
“she has an astringent, intelligent sense of humour… very good”
Metro, Edinburgh
"The best comedian Australia has produced in the last few years ... my absolute favourite comedian at the moment"
Catherine Deveney, ABC Radio 774
"The future’s in good hands.”
Chaser Newspaper, MICF 2004
“just fabulous!”
Derek Guille, ABC Radio 774
"absolutely fabulous…”
Wil Anderson, Radio Triple J
“she had the audience genuinely laughing hard”
Three Weeks: Edinburgh Festival Newspaper
“ultra dry”
Spank the Monkey, U.K.
“has a cool confidence and a calm, deadpan delivery. This combination makes her humour irresistible.”
Beat Magazine
“Hot Property”
Beat Magazine
“keep your ears tuned because this woman may soon be up there with the likes of Judith Lucy and Rachel Berger.”
Andrew Milnes, MCV
“I was blown away … very funny”
Libby Jamieson, Radio 3CR
"Top notch. Her story telling was captivating and executed with warmth. Her character work was brilliant"
Groggy Squirrel
Corporate Reviews:
Nelly recently performed at the 2010 Australian Women’s Health Network Conference where the vast majority of surveyed respondents rated her performance as “excellent” - she was a huge hit among audience members. Audience feedback included:
'Hilarious. I love her.'
'Superb.'
'A great choice, what a smart, funny comedienne.'
'Loved Nelly - good to start with a laugh at ourselves.'
'Nelly said it all.'
"Your performance was definitely a highlight of the evening. You managed to keep 340 women in stitches and there was only positive comments made regarding your performance. You greatly contributed to the success of Night Off-Night Out and you helped ensure that the ladies really did get a chance to unwind."
Amanda Driscoll, Events Coordinator, PANDA (Post and Antenatal Depression Association)
“The dedication and enthusiasm you brought to both the opening address and debate were beyond our expectations. … Uproarious laughter was seen and heard at the debate … [and it was] arguably the most popular session we’ve had at a Learnscope event”.
Jane Carroll, Victorian Learnscope Management Team, Department of Education, Victoria
“The Victorian TAFE Association employed Nelly as a dinner speaker for the Association’s State Conference. The audience was made up of CEOs, Council Presidents, Council Members, Senior Managers, international guests and government officials. Aside from having everyone in stitches, Nelly’s performance demonstrated a great understanding of the audience… Her depth of research and her ability to transform a dry topic (governance) into an ironic, witty and downright side splitting speech is extraordinary…”
David Williams, Executive Director, Victorian TAFE Association
“Nelly was gobsmackingly great! Her humour was topical, relevant, clever and damn funny. In a word, Nelly Thomas is brilliant!”
Sally Browne, Board Member, Gawler Foundation
“Fabulous… a huge hit with all the guests at the function”.
Leah Kemp, Roland Pinder Pty Ltd
“a pleasure to work with throughout the entire process of contract negotiation, background research, preparation and final presentation… respectful of the sensitive issues surrounding [working with young people with a mental illness] and managed to convey a positive message without being heavy handed or overly emotive.”
Maree Sidey, ORYGEN Youth Health
“Nelly was a blast at out Christmas Function! [She performed] … a stand-up routine which gave people belly aches from the laughs! I would definitely recommend Nelly for comedic entertainment”.
Anne Kingston, O’Connell Family Centre, Victoria
“What a fantastic finish to our practice forum. As always Nelly knows how to get the audience thinking and laughing at the same time! The feedback was really positive and a few participants are keen to follow her up for future work”.
Meg Gulbin, Senior Policy Advisor, Diversity Unit, Department of Human Services
“Nelly Thomas – Wow!, fun, engaging, and I admire the way [she] can put a truthful, guilt-free slant on the most normal/abnormal conditions of human nature, and make us as an audience laugh without prejudice”.
Gippsland Women’s Health Service
“The perfect comedian – young, feminist and funny.”
Liberty Sanger, YWCA Victoria
“Very impressive … my colleagues spoke very highly of your contribution to the conference”.
Tracie Conroy, Senior Project Officer, SA TAFE Equity Standing Committee
“Easy to work with … arranged everything with a minimum of fuss … a lovely manner and obviously worked well with external service providers…”
Helen MacDonald, DVIRC
“It will be a pleasure to recommend you to other organisations.”
Tim Tolhurst, Radio 3CR
“The research you had done on our people and even the local locations was amazing. The result was your capacity to keep nearly 200 staff fully entertained… All [staff] were very impressed… a great session!”
Barrie Baker, Director, South West Institute of TAFE
“It is often difficult to mix politics and humour, but Nelly Thomas managed to strike a balance between the two. Her performance was topical and designed to suit her audience, and she came prepared with well-researched and relevant thoughts to share.”
Amanda Rainey, Coordinator, EMILY’s List WA
“Nelly Thomas was invited to provide a touch of humour and jolliness to [our strategic planning day] and she did a terrific job. Nelly bought a degree of personalised humour that had everyone laughing and enjoying themselves.”
Peter Whitley, CEO, Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE
“She had an obvious ability to engage people, draw them in and cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time… Feedback from the staff and volunteers was particularly positive and favourable. Nelly had obviously done her homework…”
Alex Nikolovski, Aids Hepatitis and Sexual Health Line
“[Nelly’s involvement] contributed significantly o the success of our International Women’s Day activities. [Her] performance was hilarious and right on target [and helped us] set a fun, festive mood and have a good laugh.”
Cheryl Teng, General Manager, Queen Victoria Women’s Centre
