When I asked Venezuelan born, Adelaide-based Ivan Aristeguieta what had brought him to Australia, he answered with a cheeky smile. ‘My country Venezuela took a wrong turn in its history,’ he said. ‘Your country is like your mum, and Mummy Venezuela made choices in her life that I don’t agree with. I love Mummy Venezuela but I cannot live with her. Australia is like my Foster Nana; she’s kind and loving but because she’s old, she sometimes says inappropriate things. I’m OK with that because she’s a nice old Nana.’
Ivan Aristeguieta has embedded himself into the Australian day-to-day life as a way to understand the subtle differences between his two countries. He has a sharp eye for detail and he has created a powerful list of little things that make for big differences between Venezuela and here; especially those things that we take for granted here which are somewhat important in his motherland.
After the success of his first solo show, Lost in Pronunciation in 2014, Aristeguieta is back with his new show, Permanent Resident, a tribute to his new legal status in Australia.
Permanent Resident is stand-up comedy that makes audiences laugh out loud as well as reflect on the social, cultural and financial differences between developed and underdeveloped countries and the role of migrants in Australian society.
Aristeguieta craves those big Venezuelan mangos and avocados that he used to buy for next to nothing. He also reflects that his motherland has the second worst crime statistics in the world and that her people are living under a dictatorship. The social reality of his Mummy is contrasted with the joy that he feels paying taxes to his Foster Nana, because he can see where she spends his money.
For 55 impressive minutes, Aristeguieta’s show wanders between comedy and nostalgia, sharp wit and striking poignancy. Some of these jokes are so keenly observed that one can appreciate Ivan’s cunning at quietly undressing both of his two mummies down to their metaphorical underwear without making the audience blush. This is possible because he has developed a script that emphases the culture shock that one feels when one has to quickly adapt to a new environment and quickly fit in as a new member of that society.
Permanent Resident catches the attention of the audience and perhaps leaves them with the feeling that the show ended somewhat too soon. The jokes and the observations celebrate the multiculturalism that is Australia. In Aristeguieta’s performance this reality is explored with pride and leave us with a sense of gratitude that we have amongst us a comedian of his calibre who has made the most of his migrant experience.
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Permanent Resident
By Ivan Aristeguieta
Melbourne Town Hall – Portico Room
26 March – 19 April
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
www.comedyfestival.com.au
25 March – 19 April
