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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

Live ... Your Welcome

Colleen Ballinger

Netflix · 2019 · 62 min

A dual-character show featuring diary readings and bad singing.

The split-personality format is what separates this hour from a standard character-comedy showcase. Colleen Ballinger spends the first half of the performance appearing as herself, reading from her actual teenage diaries and performing songs built from real, bizarre comments she receives online. The second half belongs entirely to her aggressively untalented, lipstick-smeared internet alter ego, Miranda Sings, who subjects the audience to off-key vocal performances, awkward choreography, and a magic trick involving a fake neck stabbing.

Filmed live at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater in Washington, D.C., the special caught Ballinger at a transitional moment. Her scripted Netflix series, “Haters Back Off,” had recently been canceled after a two-season run, and she was preparing to make her Broadway debut in the musical “Waitress”. Performing while eight months pregnant, Ballinger uses her physical state as a recurring gag, particularly during segments requiring high-energy movement.

The show relies heavily on audience participation, featuring a segment where Miranda brings a volunteer on stage to receive an off-key voice lesson. It also features a brief appearance by her husband, Erik Stocklin, who assists with the onstage antics while Ballinger maneuvers around her prop-heavy set.

The set list

6 bits

  1. Stand-up comedy about being heavily pregnant

    Jokes about having a tiny penis inside her, fearing her son will inherit her awkward baby looks, and imagining him realizing his mom chases him around with lipstick and camel toe.

  2. Ukulele song using misspelled hateful YouTube comments

    Turns online harassment and misspelled comments from internet trolls into lyrics played on an acoustic ukulele.

  3. Reading overwrought childhood and prayer diaries

    Shares embarrassing tween diary entries onscreen, joined by friend Kory DeSoto who reads a hilariously uncharitable prayer diary entry.

  4. Transformation during 'Defying Gravity'

    Starts singing the Wicked showtune with legitimate vocal chops as Colleen, transforming mid-song by pulling up sweatpants, donning a sweatshirt, applying lipstick, and finishing as Miranda.

  5. Miranda's virgin pregnancy and dad auditions

    Miranda claims she must be the next Virgin Mary since she does not 'do the nasty,' and brings male audience members onstage to audition to help raise her baby.

  6. Pretend sword through the throat

    Has Patrick run a pretend sword through Miranda's throat while singing, which causes a sudden burst of operatic vocals.

How it plays

Tone
Goofy, irreverent, theatrical, and tailored to her dedicated fanbase.
On stage
A dual-identity performance splitting the set between her authentic self—candid, pregnant, and self-deprecating—and her garish, egotistical, lipstick-smeared alter ego Miranda Sings.
Pace
Begins with conversational stand-up and ukulele songs as Colleen for the first twenty minutes, transitioning via a dramatic musical number into high-energy, physical character comedy.
About
Pregnancy and impending motherhood, Internet haters and misspelled comments, Adolescent diaries and tween awkwardness, Miranda's mock virgin pregnancy

What the critics said

Reviewed as an affectionate, highly specific love letter to her preteen and teenage fanbase that highlights Ballinger's stage ease and vocal versatility, though unlikely to convert viewers outside her demographic.

In the room: An adoring, energetic crowd composed largely of preteen and teenage girls ('Mirfandas') and their parents, enthusiastically singing along and volunteering for stage participation.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: thetvdb.com, netflix.com, moviesinsight.com, nuxt-movies.vercel.app, nytimes.com, decider.com, rottentomatoes.com, en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.

Backstory

Filmed while Ballinger was six months pregnant with her first child, bringing her digital internet persona and candid personal life to a major theatrical stage.

Details

Released
Taped
Kennedy Center
Runtime
62 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Marcus Raboy
Topics
Before
Miranda Sings: Selp Helf (2015)

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