Have you ever seen such a beautiful night?
If the answer is yes, then you’ve probably just come from What Dreams are Made Of, the latest comedy special/musical from the frantic mind of Maria Williams. In this one hour coming-of-age special, Williams takes us on a tour of her adolescence, mostly framed through her experiences with Hilary Duff movies. Don’t worry if you’ve never seen them – Williams has clips and snippets on hand to make sure you’re equipped with everything you need to know.
Williams opens with a brief spiel about her Catholic upbringing, and the first costume change comes quickly, setting the pace to ‘crazy’. It’s all uphill from here as she refuses to dial down any part of her performance. The jokes come at such a quick pace that you’re left in a permanent state of omni-laughter. You’re barely finishing off a chuckle before the next one lurches out of your body.
The framing of the show is strictly tied to whatever part of whatever Hilary Duff movie Williams is currently hyper-fixated on. Sometimes she’s using the movies to compare her Nelson upbringing, sometimes it’s her attempt at changing the story to something that suits her better. Whatever it is, it’s always clear what her goals are and she nails them every time.
At the heart of all these movie references and costume changes is a sincere journey of self-discovery. No, I won’t be spoiling anything, but some things are fairly obvious from the get-go, which lends itself to some masterful misdirection and a wild third act that nobody in the audience sees coming. There’s a brilliant moment where Williams has a plot twist-style reveal where she recontextualises every joke she’s made before, revealing a truth that everyone had already clocked long before she does. Like a detective accusing a murderer after he’s been locked up for decades.
It’s important that comedy feels personal in order for it to really work, and nothing feels more personal than Williams‘ sheer joy at her own performance. It’s clear how much the source material means to her, and the parodies are treated with authenticity, not farce. Her grand finale is something that only a stunning performer like Maria Williams could get away with. Is this whole thing a ruse to allow Williams to perform her favourite girl bops in costume to a paying audience? Yeah, probably, but she earns that right with the amazing setup and theatrical descent into madness.
What Dreams Are Made Of is exactly that. By combining theatrical and musical elements, Maria Williams transcends the usual comedy special routine and creates yet another fabulously unique show. She is a master of performance and the hollering audience is a testament to that skill level. Anyone who’s queer, neurodivergent, or simply existed in the 2000s will find plenty to love here It’s just pure, expressive, joyful theatre.
After all, the only risk in seeing this show is not seeing it at all.
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.