*****

I wasn’t sure quite what to expect from O’Loughlin, a pretty middle-aged mother of 5. Then she spoke … and from the outset, I and the rest of the audience was mesmerised! It’s clear to see exactly why O’Loughlin has taken Oz by storm; as she is quite the celebrity in her own right over there.

O’Loughlin unapologetically launches into a canded tale of her recovery from destructive alcoholism – a subject matter which could easily have come across as self-indulgent from a less skilled comic.  O’Loughlin, with her I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude, regales us of drunken escapades dancing on tables, getting naked and using the F-word in front of the Queen. She laughs gleefully at the ‘red flags’she ignored – the neglect of her children (I used to fry garlic to make them think I’d cooked …. It lifted the mood of the house for a few minutes); the loss of friends and alienation from her husband.

Candidly exploring her journey of transformation from the woman you couldn’t get rid of at parties; ‘grand mal hangovers’ and going to the AA because she loved the horrendous rock bottom stories …. there wasn’t one single point in O’Loughlin’s performance when I didn’t want it to go on forever!

O’Loughlin is a two-faced, manipulative, hypochondriac bitch with an opinion on everything. She uses people for cigarettes, thinks everyone is a fuckwit and is basically a walking menopause. She’s me in 30 years time and I fucking love her! I could listen to her all evening. This is a must-see show!

http://sgfringe.com/category/reviews/comedy/fiona-o’loughlin-spirited/