We’re revving into Fringe season with a fast one.
Married couple Mo Munn and Q Potts perform their first ever duo show in Driving Me Crazy, a crash course in patience, growth and hilarity.
The Fringe Bar is packed with giddy audiences, mostly couples, who’ve been largely driven here by the strength of the show’s messaging; come watch a married couple learn how to drive. There’s a sheet draped over a large, bumpy surface, which at first resembles a bed, but nothing is that simple. Throughout this hour of stand-up, sketch, and… live therapy, the couple take the audience on a phenomenal journey of their hilarious relationship, with every pit stop a glimpse at the absurdity of it.
It’s framed very well. What the audience is presented with is a couple that’s kind of going through it. There are arguments, there are jabs, there are accusations of hypocrisy. The audience is in laughing fits at the bickering, which only eggs them on further. They build upon their marital relatability with the audience, without ever feeling like we’re swerving into nasty lanes. The problems they bring up all feel genuine, but unserious at the same time. It’s the perfect balance of edge and substance.
Mo Munn feels like the one in charge of the show. With her experience as a solo artist (Is It Off?, Oversharer), she lays out the beats clearly, always understanding where to direct the show, and most importantly, her husband. She’s simply an unstoppable force. Her quick flicking emotions demonstrate her range of performance skills, and result in a character that holds both real empathy and frustration in hilarious ways. I’m consistently amazed at her acting prowess in a comedy setting. She doesn’t falter at any step, and her clean execution of every single line has the audience feeling completely at ease.
Q Potts, on the other hand, is an absolute menace. While Mo seems to see the pathway forward and guides the audience through it, Q seems more interested in hopping along for the ride alongside us. He’s a valuable treasure. His quick wit comes across as cheeky and makes the audience feel like he’s right there with us in the passenger seat. When it’s time for a showtune, he openly brags that he’s not a good singer but that doesn’t mean he can’t perform. He keeps up consistently with his wife in the charisma department and his boyish charm endears him to everyone in the crowd.
Obviously, it’s when the two of them riff on each other that the show is at its best. Throughout the show, they describe stages of their relationship and how they navigated hardships, some of which they’re still figuring out now. They’re such endlessly creative performers that they can’t even attempt to sell a car without making a literal song and dance about it. Even when they’re slinging insults at each other in a scorekeeper way, they still look like they’re enjoying each other’s company.
And that’s where the goddamn magic is.
It’s so obvious how much these two performers love each other. It’s a special kind of love that allows them to push each other further and further along whilst making space for the smaller moments. My favourite moment in the whole show is a silent movement where Q removes Mo’s bald cap while she sets up the next bit. He takes it off tenderly, with a cheeky grin. Through talking, she glimpses back at him with a soft smile. That’s pure love, baby.
This is a perfect version of ‘my spouse is the worst’ comedy that so many performers often get so wrong. There are a hundred comedians in Wellington who’ll go onto the stage, rag on their partners for five minutes, then leave having won nobody over. That’s not the case here. Although some of the jokes may come from what would have originally been real relationship conflicts, it’s clear that they’ve been processed and worked through, long before they come near the stage. Everything comes from a place of love, despite the seemingly antagonistic framework.
Every comic in Wellington should be looking to this show for its approach to this kind of comedy. It’s not mean-spirited, it’s a consensual, beautiful tête-à-tête that brings out the best of both performers. In this day and age, it’s simply not enough to get up there and air your grievances. You have to be in service of a larger narrative that actually means something. Mo and Q have absolutely nailed that.
Driving Me Crazy is a wonderful mix of sketch and stand-up that has the most competent execution of marriage comedy I’ve ever seen. Despite the framework of taking sides, both come across as loveable, charming performers who not only play to each other’s strengths, but accentuate and celebrate them. The result is an extremely healthy session of couple’s therapy that takes place in a shit Peugeot that is actually for sale.
You can’t get a better sales pitch than that.
Disclosure: As a somewhat active member of the Wellington performing arts community, I may be quite familiar with a number of the performers in this show. Having said that, I am not a liar, and there is zero bias in my reviews, shut up.
Also, tickets were provided to me for free by the production. Literally changes nothing, though.