Netherlands-based comedian Lara Ricote has had her fair share of accolades, and after seeing ‘Little Tiny Wet Show (Baptism)’, they were clearly well-deserved. From the get-go, Ricote captures the room with her likeable charm and quirky voice, which she addresses early in the show — ‘Yes, this is my real voice,’ and ‘No, I don’t wear a retainer.’ She explains that she’s hard of hearing, but that’s not why she has a unique voice, which she comedically compares to her sister, who is also hard of hearing but has a ‘normal’ voice.

Ricote’s energy is erratic in a charming way, seeming at times like a little baby who’s just being silly and having fun onstage. She is, in a true sense of the term, playing. She brings the audience together by giving us a name through popcorn audience interaction—our name is Loba, the Spanish word for a female wolf—and addressing us as such. In doing so, she reminds us all of our inner children as she brings us into the relationship of audience and comedian.

In a meta sense, Ricote’s show is true genius. She speaks about her relationship with her boyfriend, Fernando from Argentina, touching on attachment styles and other modern dating hot topics while relating all of this back to her relationship with the audience. It’s a Fringe show in the truest form — every audience is born, living in Monkey Barrel for an hour of our individual lives, dying together at the end.

Ricote is one of those comedians who can state the obvious and still make it funny. But as the hour comes to a close, we can’t help but wish for a few more punchlines along the way — ‘Little Tiny Wet Show (Baptism)’ is nearly perfect and perhaps with the right audience and chemistry, the potential for true magic is there. 

‘Little Tiny Wet Show (Baptism)‘ is at Monkey Barrel 3 until Sun 25 Aug 2024 at 16:15