Words: Calum Baxter
Image: Wesley Verhoeve

4 Stars

Mexican comedian, Lara Ricote grew up in Miami before moving to the Netherlands to study politics. It was in Amsterdam where she began performing improv and stand-up comedy in both English and Spanish. She has gone from strength to strength, winning the “Funny Women Stage Award” in 2021 and receiving Edinburgh Comedy Award the following year for her debut solo show. Her television credits include an appearance on QI, Question Team, Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable as well as featuring on Rosie Jones’s Disability Comedy Extravaganza.

This year Lara charms and delights her audiences with her own brand of kooky irreverence as, we the audience, become the ‘guinea pig’ relationship to workshop the pitfalls of her off-stage relationship with her boyfriend Fernando who moved from Argentina to the Netherlands to be with her. We are asked to pick vowels and consonants by Lara to discover our collective name as an audience as we navigate made-up songs with nonsense lyrics and sexual roleplay fantasies leading us giddily into Ricote’s absurd and wonderful world.

Lara’s excitable energy is contagious as she offers several opportunities for audience participation. She is invariably surprised and intrigued by our responses as she begins to garner what she can improve in her relationship with Fernando which has become affected by her hectic gigging schedule and as a result has led to couples therapy sessions. Lara creates a show around audience interactions in an innovative way on her journey to discover the meaning of compatibility in the real world.

Lara Ricote: Little Tiny Wet Show (Baptism)
Monkey Barrel Comedy – MB3
16:15
Aug 18, 20 – 25