A love letter to dad from the Ritalin Princess
Sydney Comedy Festival has been the launch pad for personalities such as Ronny Chieng, Matt Okine, Rhys Nicholson and Corey White who started off as new up and comers - and Edan McGovern’s’s show Ritalin Princess could be this year’s answer to that.
There are many ways to peg the twentysomething generation born into a nuclear family of colourful pasts, but none funnier, more sensational, and sympathetic than the personal story of Edan which, whether she knows it or not, seems to be a love letter to her late father who was lost to addiction. It’s a touching tribute of unconventional parenting and a reminder of the wonder of the world through an innocent child lense we inevitably lose as adults. She does it while on a journey of loss and lockdown isolation that leads to the appreciation of gains in the bigger picture being influenced by two father figures drawing the positives from both experiences ultimately shaping her style of comedy.
For those who caught the original version of the show at Sydney Fringe, Edan says the show has evolved and become sharper as she has meticulously honed her craft as a newcomer. “I had time to sit with it and decide how to be tactful with the darker themes of the show.” she says, “I wanted to explore them in their full depth but also make sure the punchlines are frequent enough that everyone is still having fun.”
The complex coming of age story somehow navigates themes of poverty, parental divorce, addiction, death and social mobility in a delicate way enhanced by her down-to-earth demeanor with a punchy delivery that’s sweet and endearing, and there in the universe of paradox lies the comedy. Adorning the stage with childhood photos and formative year anecdotes, she seems to appreciate the positivity of her family dysfunction having reconciled its challenges while couching the tale in pure laughs.
Her Tik Tok audience will see a new relaxed side to Edan who takes the time to draw an entire room into the poetic sensibility of Ritalin Princess. “My stage presence is so different to how I am on tiktok..” she says, “...because when everyone’s sat in a room they can’t just scroll away from me. I also post tiktoks usually as I’m in the emotion of whatever thought I’m thinking, whereas on stage it’s not so new to me anymore, I’ve made peace with it.”
There’s a uniqueness to her storytelling, perhaps an edge from her ADHD and bipolar traits, where her segues into reminiscene from the major plot are so captivating it’s almost as she’s verbally taking you through a cinematic montage before slamming you with the moral’s punchline. The half hour show leaves you wondering how she could possibly follow this up.
For the moment she’s touring Ritalin Princess through various local venues before a June tour in the Northern Territory. As for a sequel? “I think the show after this will be such a challenge.” she says, “I’ve realised the darker the topics I want to write about, the more skilled a comedian I’m going to have to be. It’s easy to get everyone laughing about lighthearted, day to day situations but you have to be meticulous in constructing a good show if you want to explore something deeper.”
And we can’t wait to see where you take us next Edan! For schedules of her shows and upcoming tour dates, Edan McGovern can be found on Tik Tok and Facebook.