Review: Amy Mason: Free Mason

Amy Mason | photo by Lucy Ridges

Amy Mason talks about coming out, motherhood, hedgehogs and hula hoops in a deadpan debut hour that delivers proper laughs while subtly addressing important issues.

As if lockdown wasn’t challenging enough, this is when Mason decided to leave her husband which, unsurprisingly, added to the stress of home schooling and household chores. But she didn’t write a show to moan about that. Instead, she focuses on the highs and lows of everyday life, ranging from getting one over on her children to the annoying sound of a cat licking its perineum.

She enters the stage poker-faced, looking plain, even mumsy. But throughout the hour she keeps peeling back the layers to reveal a multi-faceted and insightful individual trying to build a new life after coming out. She tells her story by weaving profound reflections into a web of silly, left field remarks, without labouring any points about mental health or sexual identity.

Some stories drag on, with punchlines that land a bit flat, but many of the one liners and observations are laugh-out-loud funny. Mason is likeable from the start and at the end of the show, knowing her better, the audience is definitely on her side.