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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Brian Logan

‘I wanted to be serious – but people would laugh so hard’: Julia Masli on her accidental comedy masterpiece

Julia Masli United States Viggo Venn London Soho Theatre
‘I wanted to do something beautiful on stage’ … Masli at Soho theatre, London.
‘I wanted to do something beautiful on stage’ … Masli at Soho theatre, London. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian

‘But it’s a serious show!!!” tweeted Julia Masli when her fringe hour ha ha ha ha ha ha ha was nominated last summer for the Edinburgh comedy awards. “I can’t believe you all are pranking me, because it’s a serious show!!!!!!,” she added, when she won best show at the Comedians’ Choice awards. As the accolades rolled in (five-star reviews, further prizes), the 27-year-old continued to insist, with ever more exclamation marks, that ha ha ha ha ha ha ha is not – title, be damned – supposed to be funny.

The joy of the show is that Masli must take it seriously in order for it to be funny. Its ridiculous premise is that a clown – with wide eyes, a Victorian frock and a mannequin’s leg for her arm – can solve an audience’s most intractable life problems. The surprise is that, with straight-bat commitment from Masli and a little help from the audience, she often can.

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