The Mail Order Bride Song

What's love got to do, got to do with it?

More Ria Lina videos

Brighton Fringe: Ria Lina: It's Not Easy Being Yellow
Live Review
Brighton Hobgoblin

Ria Lina’s debut hour is a loose mixture of passable stand-up and jaunty ukulele songs, but without a strong raison d’etre beyond apparently the need to fill the allotted time.

It’s Not Easy Being Yellow suggests insight about her mixed ethnicity, but she often sticks to the comic cliché that dad is from one country, mum from another, therefore part of her personality is all ‘this stereotype’ while the other part is all ‘this contrasting stereotype’.

In Lina’s case the two halves are German and Filipina, so annexation and mail-order brides are the order of the day, with one of the jollier of her tunes specifically about that latter topic. Lina has a strong cabaret-style singing voice, and the musical interludes – some of which she’s been performing on the circuit for the best part of a decade – entertain, even if they don’t inspire.

She is partly driven by sex gags and shock comedy, but her juxtaposition of cute and offensive doesn’t have the sting of Sarah Silverman, feeling more like a scramble to get a reaction, without precision or confidence. That’s especially true in the early part of the show, when she comes across as a rather insecure performer, over-eager to land laughs.

When she relaxes, her company is more amicable. She also starts to plays a little more with the stereotypes, talking about how that affects the way she is perceived rather than simply reinforcing them by repeating them. She talks, too, about being in a relationship with an older man and of having children and step-children which is amicable even if, in this work-in-progress, still in need of more punchlines.

As part of her engaging interactions with the audience, she asks us to try to sum her up in three words, after a comedy agent told her that she was hard to market as she couldn’t be so easily defined.

After an hour, the audience still struggle to do that – and it’s nothing to do with pigeonholes, but rather because Lina’s scattergun, often superficial, approach means her comedy and her personality are too fuzzily defined.

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The female Frankie Boyle without humour (and he's not funny). Picking on people with special needs?? How low can you get. That is not humour, its vile and guttural. She has no humour. Just a bully with no education. Ruined my night and broke my heart. A vile woman who I hope will learn from her mistake but I doubt it. as told by the Wam Bam Club ' that's just her humour'. That is not an excuse. Disgusted by her.

Lisa Martin, September 2012

Sailed through her act (Dorking Halls) with constant appreciation from a small audience. OK a new venue for her so well tired material worked well, nicely interspersed with witty ditties.

Colin Burn, October 2011

I have had the fortune of seeing Ria Lina on two separate occasions; Both times, she brought the house down with laughter and was recalled for an encore. I particularly admire the way she interacts with her audiences and allows her show to be dynamic and react to the mood and the timing of the space she is working. A class act all round!

Gary Stocker, September 2010

I totally disagree - I saw her last night at the 99 Club in Angel and she was brilliant. I'll definitely keep an eye out for her again

Michelle, September 2010

I saw her on Tuesday, she just wasn't funny. I get the impression she can't be bothered - at one point she started talking to someone in the audience and asked him if he was listening. He replied that he wasn't (a perfect opportunity to show her quick wit and put the heckler down) and she told him to fuck off. Pure comic genius. (Not)

Alex, January 2008

Hmmm. Having read all below I feel somewhat guilty adding to the 'kicking', so I'll try and be balanced... Damn this is hard... I'm trying to think of anything positive... er... to a different audience she may have had some appeal. To our audience she just left an awkward silence. The only thing that got a cheer was her saying "this is my last song..."

John Stevens, July 2007

Goddawful is putting it mildy

Alex, April 2006

I thought she was great. She brought the house down at False Titters.

Matthew Todd, February 2005

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