Such an Inspiration is a brilliantly written show delivered with comedic execution, wit and strong punchlines. 

Through her own story, Anna Piper-Scott explores the three main narratives of trans women; punchline, villain or victim – it’s a conversation that needs to be had, and who better to lead the charge with humour, comedic integrity and confidence than the renowned comedian.  

This is a show that pulls the audience in. Anna’s ability to work the crowd and create a safe space is apparent from the minute we enter the room.

Anna’s story is big, and her ability to throw in a joke in order to make a point is effortless.

In the recent decade, the comedic community has undergone a series of quandaries, from the rhetoric that women aren’t funny, toxic public narratives about trans people and people of colour, to the culture-wide reassessment of the content and delivery of comedy.

Anna Piper-Scott’s show delves into these issues and more. Through heartfelt and deep stories and information, she is able to treat the audience with an intelligence that allows each audience member to connect to her stories and laugh along on different levels.

Midway through the show, her ‘Nannette turn’ as she calls it, incites a deep story of trauma, which she delivers with patience and kindness to the audience before digressing us into laughter once again.

Anna’s delivery of hard-hitting jokes, along with her ability to bring the audience along on her storytelling journey is outstanding as she talks us through tales of her own life, transness and what it is to be human in a world defined and segregated by labels.

The complexity of the expectation of comedy and comedians and the delivery of issues that Anna touches on is such a delicate art that she executes with ease.

This brilliantly written show is the mark of a comedian who has so much to offer the world, and so much to offer the broader world of comedy.   

Five stars

Anna Piper-Scott – Such an Inspiration played at the Rhino Room

Reviewed by Merinda Edwards