Review: Lara Ricote

Lara Ricote is learning to relate. A resident in the Netherlands, Ricote's Argentinian partner moved from South America to be with her four years ago. That significant commitment serves as the foundation for Ricote's exploration of the complicated thoughts and feelings that sharing our lives provokes. In Little Tiny Wet Show (Baptism), Ricote uses her relationship with Fernando as a window into our most intimate connections, expanding her reflections to her former teenage self, her family, her audience, and even her washing machine. Her insights into the complementary nature of relationships are both honest and insightful. Drawing from her experience in couples therapy, she discusses attachment styles and familial patterns with emotional truth. 

Despite these personal revelations, Ricote is a comedian first. Her comedic style, reminiscent of Maria Bamford, is rich with surprising twists, whimsical flights of fancy, and delightful absurdity. Each routine bubbles with a playful surface tension before spilling over into sheer nonsense, such as her opening cover of 'Let It Be', which blends Paul McCartney's melodic thoughtfulness with a stream of babble that would make John Lennon proud. And for those who enjoy fart jokes, Ricote offers an anatomical explainer on the architecture of the human bum. 

While the show poses more questions than it answers about intimacy, attachment, and relationships, we couldn't expect Ricote to solve the intricacies of human bonds in a single afternoon. Little Tiny Wet Show (Baptism) is a universal look into human nature, with Ricote a relatable figure navigating the complexities of relationships – just as we all do. Yet, where she stands out is for her singular and distinctive comedic voice.