Review Fix Exclusive: Meshelle Talks ‘Diary of a MILF’ And More

Review Fix chats with comedian Meshelle, who lets us know how being a mother changed her sense of humor, her TruTV show and her upcoming production, “Diary of a Milf.”

Review Fix: How did you get involved in comedy?

Meshelle: My co-workers and I were all recent college graduates working in human services (social work, psychology, sociology, anthropology) and after weeks of sharing funny stories with them about my exploits during client home visits, they signed me up for an open mic contest at MO’NIQUES former comedy club in Baltimore, Maryland.  They handed me a sheet of paper with my quirky stories in short form and I went up on a dare.  It was beyond scary and yet getting the first laugh was so exhilarating that I remember the feeling even today.

Review Fix: What have the last few months been like for you?

Meshelle: It’s been surreal. Being featured on a new TRUtv series, “Laffmobb’s Lafftracks” and performing all over the city and country has been magical.  Most of all, performing my one-woman play, Diary Of A MILF  ( Mom I’d Love to FOLLOW) Directed by Rain Pryor to a SOLD OUT audience at Joe’s Pub has been a “bucket of awesome.” Only to be topped by an upcoming performance on 42nd Street “Theatre Row” during the UNITED SOLO FESTIVAL this coming September 22nd, it’s a dream come true.

Review Fix: Who inspires you?

Meshelle: Honestly, the comedians, solo performers and performance artists, who go up every night in the clubs and bars throughout NEW YORK.  From Manhattan’s solid clubs such as The Cellar, Gotham, Stand Up New York, Broadway Comedy Club and so many more, to the bar shows in Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Harlem and all points between.  I am so inspired by their relentless and fearless angst, that it pulls me on stage and dares me to peel away at who I say I am as a comedienne and artist.

Review Fix: What’s funny to you?

Meshelle: Truth. Laced in exaggeration.  I love how a great comedian will make the truth sound like a lie and a lie sound like the truth. And I am not necessarily speaking about the unequivocal truth, the kind that can be fact-checked.  I love when a comedian is speaking to a personal truth without fear.  It’s the line between what’s real and what’s not, that keeps me laughing.  The sheer uncertainty that makes me giggle.

Review Fix: How has becoming a mother changed your sense of humor?

Meshelle: It has erased the BS factor. I call it just as I see it now without apology.  Motherhood has made me want to be painfully honest, and deal with its aftermath.  I am amazed at how low my tolerance is for “finessing” and “spinning” the hard topics, I seem to be running out of time for being politically correct.

Review Fix: How do you think your work in theatre and as an author help you as a comic?

Meshelle: Theatre keeps me extremely humble.  There are a different set of expectations the moment the word “theatre” is placed in the equation.  Your audience must walk away having had an “experience” laced in entertainment with a possibility of music, social justice, fantasy and adventure.  There is a story that ensues when “theatre” is the aim.  As an author, I pen the story, choosing the beginning, middle and end.  It gives me license to share things that would seem absurd in other professions.  Both of these allow me to stretch as a standup comedienne, making my performances teeter on theatrical story-telling fueled by quirky characters, voices and personas on stage.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Meshelle: Diary Of A MILF (Mom I’d Love to FOLLOW) goes to the
UNITED SOLO FESTIVAL on 42nd Street, Theatre Row, September 22, 2018 6pm
Studio Theatre
410 West 42nd Street
NY, NY 10036

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Meshelle: Take a second and listen to a few of my comedy tracks on my album, “Funny As A Mother…” [Comedy Dynamics Records] Available on: iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Amazon and my Pandora Radio station “MESHELLE radio.”