I was one of a few cis-gendered, straight, white middle-aged men who took their seat to see Em Rusciano at a packed Civic Theatre on Friday night as part of her 2024 Outgrown tour.
As a 45-year-old married man who grew up around women in a single-parent household, I’ve always thought I was a pretty hip, happening, and woke sort of bloke. I’m super involved in the lives of my kids, my favourite podcast is Bang On and I’m often described as a massive leftie.
But none of that prepared me for the take-home message I was about to receive.
Besides learning the Auslan for explosive diarrhoea and blowjob (skills for life), I am now aware, along with a few other Daves in the theatre, how the menopause dragon is fucking with my wife, what goes on in the mind of my daughter who has ADHD and Autism and how shouldering a bit of the mental load in our house could have a massive impact for my family.
It was the first time I’d seen Em Rusciano live, and before I’m accused of making this all about myself (much like this intro) let me tell you why it won’t be the last.
THE MUSIC
Em Rusciano’s voice is amazing and multifaceted. It has all the clarity and diction it needs to get the laughs in a cabaret-style number and all the emotion that it needs to leave an audience silent with tears rolling down their faces. She’s an incredible singer.
The musical numbers are backed by a four-piece band that is on stage with Em throughout the show and includes her Dad, Vincie, on acoustic guitar – he has his own fan club.
It’s obvious how much love there is between everyone on stage. The band not only provide the music but they give Em people to bounce off and play with, which is one of the many triumphs of the show. Plus they did a cover of Communication, a 1989 anit-drug song, by John Farnham and Danni Elle and as a massive John Farnham fan, it was the deep cut I didn’t know I needed to hear.
THE STORY
On top of lessons for us Daves, talk of explosive diarrhoea and often embarrassing tales about family life, the show is the story of Em’s diagnosis and living with perimenopause.
Like many parents who have gone down the long, winding, expensive, and often scary path of diagnosis for their kids, Em has found out she too has a spicy brain. And through the telling of that story, the audience is given an insight into what it looks and feels like from within. What they could do to support those around them who are going through the same thing and why… sometimes… you just need to shut the fuck up and listen.
Em also wants us to know she’s angry about the lack of awareness of perimenopause and support for people who are going through it. But underneath all the anger, and buckets of belly laughs, there is a tenderness to this message. And it’s the reason it gets through – It’s not just a stand-up routine for Em. This is an important message and she wants to let people know that she sees them and help others understand what it’s like. And it works.
OUTGROWN
What Em has achieved with her latest production is nothing short of magic. She’s hit the trifecta of laughs, lessons and connection. It’s easy to see why she has a legion of fans around the world and I can now count myself as one of them.
Outgrown will head to Tasmania next weekend before finishing up in Melbourne with an encore show at Margaret Court Arena on Saturday 7 December. To find out more, and grab tickets, head to frontiertouring.com/emrusciano.
