Josephine O’Reilly had her audience laughing from the word SHOWJO. Infact, they kept laughing for 90 per cent of the show. Unfortunately, this had much to do with the fact that 90 per cent of the preview audience were family members, and little to do with the comic value of her material.

This overly enthusiastic (and often vocal!) response far from fuelled her delivery, but instead saw O’Reilly present an over-anxious and dramatic version of the material she had prepared. What resulted was a preview audience being indulged in a series of personal jokes which left the half dozen of us who were not siblings of the self-confessed catholic comedienne, social worker and opera singer feeling decidedly excluded and removed from the comedy.

Amongst the dramatics though are some genuinely funny moments that will be unanimously appreciated, but it will take a dedicated comedy enthusiast to wade through the material that remains to appreciate them.

SHOWJO is more reminiscent of a humorous toast at a family reunion than a stand-up comedy show that will appeal to Melbourne festival-goers. To O’Reilly’s credit though, one gets the impression that she is a performer whose enthusiasm and commitment to her material will not waiver should she come up against a tougher crowd, which she inevitably will in the coming weeks. This is where her professionalism and experience will become apparent.