Melanie Bracewell: A Little Treat (Max Watt’s and touring) – theatre review

Mel Bracewell is comic gold. She is a delightful yarn spinner, who turns the ordinary into the special. Appropriately, she has the audience in fits of laughter as a result. Well named, A Little Treat is exactly that, a memorable hour of mirth and merriment, although the title is also drawn from her final salvo.

Mel tells us that she was recently diagnosed with ADHD (which made her reevaluate her life) and her boyfriend Shaun is autistic. She then builds her show around her appointment to see a clinical psychologist who confirmed her diagnosis. Just to get to see the psychologist took eight months. Mel talks about her way of filling her day-to-day calendar with vague references and no detail.

The psychologist asked her about her childhood, which sees Mel talk about her height (as an adult, she is 6 foot 2 inches tall), as she lumbered about. There are hilarious references to her mother’s ultrasound before she was born and how out of place Mel felt. She had to fill out a questionnaire, which involved asking her mother questions, which the latter took as a personal attack on her parenting skills. That leads on to her mum’s turn of phrase on Facebook.

Mel talks about marijuana and edibles at a Troye Sivan concert. Getting into the concert was no easy feat and, given what I have just said, not for the reason you might think. Then it is back to the clinical psychologist. Part of Mel’s shtick is to keep circling back to her ADHD diagnosis, while breaking off into tangents, which she does magnificently.

The psychologist asked Mel how ADHD affected her day-to-day. That leads to a deep dive into the Netball Australia Awards, where Mel was asked to film videos on the red carpet. As she tells it, it was a chaotic evening and a day from hell, which began when she awoke. There are tales about sending an email to a real estate agent, accusations by a friend staying with her about stealing a mini chocolate muffin and calling a vet friend to save her beloved Maltese Shih Tzu.

By then running late for her netball gig, Mel decided to drive to the venue with her boyfriend. He wasn’t allowed to get behind the wheel because his licence was suspended by VicRoads, which results in another story about how that happened. Mel lovingly describes Shaun as a classic Golden Retriever.

With time running out and no parking anywhere near the venue, Mel – in her 2008 Toyota Yaris – found a unique, if confronting, solution. Much to Mel’s chagrin, Shaun, who took all in his stride, left his mobile phone at home. She left Shaun sitting in the vehicle while she conducted her interviews. What she discovered when she returned to the car was both sweet and confronting.

Mel explains that she is somewhat of a lapsed vegetarian (some funny stuff here), while Shaun remains true to the cause, leading to an open food relationship. With beer in hand at the netball awards, Mel discusses her habit of peeling off labels and how that is interpreted.

Mel references the time she took Shaun to a Dining in the Dark experience in which her fear and anxiety took over due to the unusual turn of events. The circumstances of an appointment with a hairdresser means she can never go back, while a defective rainfall shower provides grist for the mill when it comes to accents.

Having imbibed a little too much at the netball awards, Mel decides to utilise a never before heard of service to transport her and Shaun home. Merely engaging this service requires a great deal of trust (think gullibility). That level of trust takes on new meaning when Mel is waylaid by an Australian netballer calling on her to party on. Eventually catching the train home, Mel and Shaun stop off for a little treat.

Mel acknowledges she made some poor decisions that day and circles around to why she made the appointment with the clinical psychologist. But the set isn’t quite over. There is still a visual surprise in store as she exits the stage to howls of approval for an act very well conceived and executed.

Wow. What a show. What a performance. Indeed, what a treat! Mel absolutely nails it. She is fun. She is personable. She is quick witted. The anecdotes continue to pour out of her. And there is no pretence about her audience interactions. I love what she brings to the table. She has style, smarts and sex appeal. Not for naught has she filled to capacity the hundreds of seats at Max Watt’s. This is one ticket well worth buying.

Melanie Bracewell: A Little Treat is playing at Max Watt’s, as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, until 20th April, before continuing to tour Australia and New Zealand. She plays Penrith Concert Hall on 1st May, The Concourse on 2nd May and Enmore Theatre on 3rd May. Then it is the Tivoli in Brisbane on 9th and 10th May, and Regal Theatre in Perth on 16th May. It is Q Theatre in Auckland on 21st to 23rd May and, finally, the Opera House in Wellington on 24th May, 2025.

Alex First

Other reviews you might enjoy:

• Geraldine Hickey: Meander (Arts Centre Melbourne) – theatre review
• Ally Morgan, Not Today (Theatre Works) – theatre review
• Luke McGregor: Okay, Wow (Melbourne International Comedy Festival) – comedy review