Overqualified
Otago Polytechnic G-Block
Monday, March 17
Review by SAM HENDERSON
Jovial and with a jolly hockey sticks joie de vivre, sisters Joelle Peters and Hana Cadzow are both engineering lecturers with a sharp eye for the absurdity of learning.
While working hard to avoid death by PowerPoint, the pair explore what could be required to earn a ‘certificate in adult competency’.
Combined with the lecture theatre setting, Overqualified takes on the feel of an evening elective, one that is much more entertaining than most.
The laughs begin early with a rotating list of multiple-choice scientific questions displayed as the audience arrives, with sweets handed out for correct answers.
We also receive a ‘programme document’ outlining the show's learning outcomes, including points for wardrobe, audience rapport and eye contact.
Using their own experience to good effect, they ease into their topic, finding humour in the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
The two are at their best when riffing off each other, interrupting and occasionally correcting in a way only sisters can.
A segment where the sisters create a PowerPoint on the spot from an audience-supplied topic meant one or the other temporarily stepping out of the show to work on a laptop.
While the payoff at the end was entertaining, it lessened the chance to enjoy the sisters working together.
Both have a knack for drawing comedy from the often dull demands of higher education.
Offering a unique angle on personal experience can often provide fertile ground for fringe festival shows.
This sister act demonstrates this well, delivering an audience experience that feels fresh and unforced.
Overqualified has further shows on Wednesday, March 19 and Friday, March 21.
