Comedian Celia Pacquola always envisioned herself as a serial dater with an absurd job, never imagining she would settle down in the suburbs with a partner and a child.
As a result, her first stand-up show in five years is aptly titled I’m As Surprised As You Are.
“People who have seen my previous shows and know me personally will be genuinely surprised,” she told AAP.
The show is a headline act at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, where Pacquola made her debut 18 years ago – even though she lost an open-mic competition to Hannah Gadsby.
At the age of 41, Pacquola confesses that after giving birth to a baby in 2022, she wasn’t sure if she would ever return to the stand-up comedy stage.
“I was unsure about what my future would hold, whether I would pursue something different, I had no clue,” she admitted.
Even before her daughter was born, Pacquola was involved in various projects, including the long-running Utopia TV series, writing and starring in Rosehaven with her close friend Luke McGregor, and hosting Thank God You’re Here, among other television roles.
She also delved into the 2021 SBS documentary The Truth About Anxiety, and while taking care of a newborn, Pacquola found that the mental health issues she had been candid about for years suddenly intensified.
She constantly found herself fretting and overanalyzing how to care for her baby, worrying that she might unknowingly put her in harm’s way.
“It’s not surprising because I struggled with anxiety even when I wasn’t responsible for a real life,” she acknowledged.
Her daughter is now a year and a half old, and Pacquola mentions that everyone is getting more rest, and she is relieved to return to her usual levels of anxiety.
More recently, she has revisited club comedy nights and discovered that she still enjoys the thrill of stand-up comedy.
While there are many new faces in the comedy scene, and she sometimes feels “very, very old,” with a new partner, a change of residence, a baby (and… baking a quiche?), there is no shortage of material to discuss, she remarked.
Pacquola has even been asked if she had a child for fresh comedic material – to which she emphatically responded no.
“I have no illusions that having a baby has made my career more challenging, but if I can derive a couple of jokes from it, then I’ll take advantage of it,” she stated.
“I have to give my child something to discuss in therapy when she’s older.”
I’m As Surprised As You Are has been in previews since Thursday, and with a ten-show run and no plans for a tour, Pacquola is already lamenting how quickly it will be over.
“That’s one of the wonderful aspects of live stand-up, it’s about the moment – but then it’s gone,” she reflected.
I’m As Surprised As You Are is showing at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne until April 7.
