The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Melbourne Town Hall

When you buy a ticket to a show, you expect a complete performance. Not so with Abby Wambaugh. Instead, they offer the first three minutes of 17 different shows. What initially feels like a series of disconnected sketches is, in fact, carefully constructed, with Wambaugh deftly weaving together a narrative about family, love, loss, and grief in their debut show, aptly titled The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows.

The 17 scenes shift constantly in tone and style. Some lean into borderline absurdity, others involve audience participation, and a few take on more traditional forms of stand-up or storytelling. One of the earliest segments sees Wambaugh embodying a vacuum cleaner, an unexpected bit that elicits plenty of laughs. Another, titled "Straight Stand-Up", has them sharing details about their husband and children: amusing, though it seems somewhat inconsequential.

As the hour progresses, the pieces begin to cohere. Amid the more ridiculous antics, such as "old man parkour", Wambaugh introduces increasingly intimate material, including their own miscarriage. Suddenly, those earlier fragments take on new meaning. Despite the topic being raised in the show’s synopsis, its arrival still lands with weight, drawing a hush over the audience and creating a palpable unease in the room.

Wambaugh quickly pivots, launching into their next "show" inspired by the 2000 film What Women Want. In this beginning however, rather than hearing women’s thoughts, they hear pre-recorded snippets of what the audience might be thinking: "Oh, this is a miscarriage show", one voice remarks, cutting through the tension with sharp, self-aware humour.

What emerges is an unassuming yet deeply affecting exploration of beginnings that never get the chance to unfold: to have a middle, an end, or a full life. It’s a fresh and inventive way of approaching a subject as personal and traumatic as this, and The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows ultimately proves to be a rewarding and resonant experience.

SHOW DETAILS

Venue: Melbourne Town Hall, corner Swanston Street & Collins Street, Melbourne
Season: until 19 April | Tues - Sat 6:30pm, Sun 5:30pm

Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $33 - $35 Full | $30 Conc & Tightarse Tuesday

Bookings: Melbourne International Comedy Festival