Truman Post: "Boom Jennies" Trio: Girls can be Pretty and Funny

    The “Boom Jennies”, which consists of Lizzie Bates, Anna Emerson and Catriona Knox, prove they have mastered the art of screwball comedy. Being a women in comedy is not an easy task, but the “Boom Jennies” has shown that a positive light isshining through female comedic performances. These talented comedians are not afraid to break boundaries, and question the conventional definitions of what it means to be “feminine” or “lady-like”.
    In the show, women’s sexuality and their sense of femininity were central issues. Since most people do not expect women to be funny, it must have been intimidating for the trio to get up on stage and perform. It seems the women have to invent a persona or character that they can morph into while on stage. The girls change into strong funny women who question issues of femininity and problems women face in this day and age. Since comedy is dominated by men, the show was unpredictable for the mostly female audience. Most people expect a man to be funny, so the reactions from the audience are different with a female comedian. Furthermore the topics men and women discuss in their comedy sketch are also different. It seems most men talk about politics, current events, pop culture, or stereotypes. Women have to prove they are funny, where most male comedians are assumed to be funny. It seems that when a female comedian is performing, the audience reserves their views until she can prove that she is funny. However, after the first skit, it was evident that the “Boom Jennies” were more than a pretty face.
    Some of the skits addressed issues of relationships, popular culture, body image, or random observations, many of which are themes that apply to stereotypes of women’s sexuality and femininity. The BJ’s were loud, aggressive, and un-ladylike, which challenges the social norms that had been given to them. They successfully broke the accepted social norms of society in order to be funny. With one of the BJ’s being desperate to find a boyfriend, it presented a great opportunity for them to search for suitable candidates, which was no further than a gentleman in the first row. This also gave them a chance to engage the audience. Anna Emerson, with her wide range of facial expressions, went all out in the “what to put on the online dating profile” skit. This skit was centered around the of the issue of how a “pretty” woman should look and act in order to find her one true love. It was funny to watch Anna and the girls confront and exaggerate their beauty and feminine roles. It seemed that the trio would pick certain issues that they observed in the world, and then show the audience how silly people can be. Most of their skits included awkward moments, sticky situations, and funny one-liners that would all work together. It was interesting to see that many of the skits included issues that were funny to everyone, not just women. An example of this was in the “Lunch Bill” sketch, where the girls could not agree on the payment of the bill.  In these types of skits, they let the gender issue speak for itself.
    The “Boom Jennies” is a fresh and funny show, that challenged the idea of women comedy. These three talented comedians broke the audiance into laughter in the first skit, and the laughs continued throughout the show.