Trout review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Malthouse Theatre

in 2025 Kate Dolan opened her Melbourne Comedy Festival show, The Critic, as a plant. This year, she begins as a trout, a dancing trout, while wearing a trout mask. And this time, the show is about trout, fish in general, and the idea that life might be simpler, easier, if she were one. Unsurprisingly, the show is called Trout.
 
Dolan is a stand-up comedian, but this performance marks a complete 180-degree turn from what she presented last year. For starters, there is some contemporary dancing and some rapping. But the most noticeable change is Dolan herself. The shift feels amplified by the larger Malthouse space, which seems to give her the space to expand her presence and lean into a bigger, more unrestrained energy. Dolan uses the entire stage, constantly in motion, swinging her hips, and jumping between beats with a physicality that drives the rhythm. She is loud, erratic, and deliberately so, channelling that unpredictability into a style that appears loose at first glance but is structured underneath.

Once she removes the mask, Dolan hangs it on a hook inside a picture frame behind her. It’s a visual gag that doubles as a reset between personas, neatly marking the transition between character and performer without overcomplicating things, and it fits her playful, absurd tone as she ponders if life would be better if she were dumber, or if evolution had stopped at fish.
 
From there, she turns to themes of exhaustion and frustration with being a woman in the modern world, touching on everything from new cosmetic surgery trends to her own experiences with mental health and depression. Despite the weight of these topics, she keeps the mood light and consistently funny, with the energy rarely dipping. She also weaves in a handful of musical moments, including a rap on being "built like a brick shithouse", that feel as spontaneous as they are sharp, adding another layer of surprise to a show that thrives on controlled chaos.
 
While she says whatever is on her mind and shares her warped worldview with the audience, one recurring issue is Dolan’s tendency to call out when the room isn’t laughing or fully connecting, whether that’s the front or the back, even offering the occasional idle threat of continuing the show along the stairs to reach the rear of the venue. It’s not always clear if this is part of the act or a response to the crowd, but either way it can introduce a subtle wedge, gradually building a bit of a wall between her and the audience.
 
Trout is a bold, lively departure that demonstrates Dolan pushing well beyond a conventional stand-up format into something more physical, playful, and unpredictable. When it’s at its best, the mix of movement, music, and offbeat ideas creates a lively, engaging hour that is distinctly her own. Its ambition and commitment carry it through, resulting in a performance that’s confident, inventive, and clearly aiming to stretch both her style and the audience’s expectations.

SHOW DETAILS

Venue: Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt St, Southbank
Season: until 19 April | Tues - Sat 8.45pm, Sun 7.45pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $33 Full | $29 Conc | $25 Tightarse Tuesday
Bookings: Melbourne International Comedy Festival