Nikki Justice is an ex-stripper from Rockingham. Her boyfriend, Andrew Hamilton, is an ex-con/drug dealer from Sydney’s affluent North Shore. Together they’re the Brangelina of Australian comedy, taking audiences by storm with their refreshing honesty, irreverent humour and outrageous stories about their chequered pasts. These two rising stars are both eminently likeable, sexy as hell, and they offer a unique perspective into the underbelly of Australia.
A two-time state finalist in the Raw Comedy Awards at The Melbourne Comedy Festival, Nikki Justice is an absolute pocket rocket. Covered in tattoos, dressed in a wedding veil, white corset, black funeral pants, and red stripper heels, she immediately wins hearts and tickles funny bones with her easy manner, warm smile, and winning charm. She has the audience in stitches with her self-deprecating jokes about her chaotic life and unconventional upbringing.
Justice jokes that she’s trying to change her ways and wean herself off her addiction to bad boys. “I’m visually impaired,” she says, “I can’t see red flags.” With glorious sex positivity and refreshing honesty, she talks about her love of sex and orgasms, but her inability to be discerning in her choice of sexual partners.
She married a Coffin Cheater bikie and had three kids before the marriage went belly up. “Everyone says don’t get involved with Coffin Cheaters – once you’re in the gang you can never get out! But he couldn’t replace me quickly enough!” In a wonderful twist, we learn that his new partner is now a great friend and stepparent to her kids. She loves her to bits – apart from the time her daughter asked her if her other mother was her real mother. (Cue a string of hilarious expletives.)
We learn that Justice’s mum was also a sex worker and her dad a drug dealer. “Mum and I are just like a tree – we both have a lot of roots.” However, she doesn’t allow us to pigeonhole her parents, telling us her dad was religious and made her go to church every Sunday. Her folks also worked really hard to put her through private school and give her a good education, she says – miming her mother performing fellatio.
Having such unconventional parents wasn’t always easy when she was a kid, she says. “I couldn’t take my parents to career day….and once when I did show and tell, I told my classmates about the time my house got raided.” When people asked the performer what her dad did for a living, she told them he worked folding laundry in jail.
Justice’s warts-and-all honesty and irreverent humour may not be for everyone, but for broadminded audiences who like their comedy rough and ready, it’s a hilarious insight into a very unconventional life. It’s also a testimony to the healing power of comedy. Both Justice and Hamilton have used comedy to cope with the difficult hand life has dealt them Hamilton did four months in jail for dealing magic mushrooms, and Justice has had to deal with the suicide of her father and her own mental health struggles).
Their remarkable gift for comedy and newfound success as rising stars on the comedy circuit is also offering them both a chance to reinvent themselves and find healing, purpose, and strength in their new roles as successful comedians. Hamilton is now clean and says he’s the happiest he’s ever been. Justice appears to be confident, beautifully comfortable in her own skin, and happy with who she is.
Ultimately, 1 & a 1/2 Weddings & a Funeral is more than just a stand-up show; it’s a raw, honest, and hilarious exploration of life, love, family, messing up, falling down…and turning your proverbial lemons into lemonade. Justice invites you to suspend your judgements and preconceptions, laugh with her, fall in love with her, and ultimately, celebrate the resilience of the human spirit. If you’re looking for a comedy experience that will leave you feeling entertained, moved, and perhaps a little bit wiser, then look no further. This show is a must-see.
Read: Performance review: A Body at Work, Theatre Works, midsumma festival
1 and a ½ Weddings and a Funeral will be performed until 8 February at The Wembley Hotel and The Basement at the Stables as part of FRINGE WORLD.
Tickets: $25
