Liz Guterbock: Geriatric Millennial

Pleasance Courtyard – Edinburgh Fringe

Liz Guterbock’s Geriatric Millennial uses the innocuous lens of the term to explore society’s attitudes to women, in particular childlessness and ageing and intersperses these subjects with innocuous observations about the differences between British and American cultures.

Throughout the hour, Guterbock balances intelligent and silly observations using a mild kind of humour as part of her delivery, showing a special kind of insight that we come to learn is not just part of being a ‘geriatric millennial’, but instead a large part of Guterbock’s comedy and personality.   The jokes themselves aren’t particularly obvious; her delivery is heavily influenced by the one liner style that is common amongst American comedians and is reliant on intonation in order to indicate that a joke is being made. The material here is very relatable, Guterbock mines universal experiences and annoyances for her jokes, but it is in the shared misery of a particular experience where her comedy really shines. She peppers in impressions of various figures, showcasing her knack for accents to help deliver a joke more effectively – or when she feels the material becoming too serious and depressing – almost giving voice to the accent itself and using it to lift the atmosphere in the venue.

The measured pace that Guterbock takes means that we feel as if she’s having an informal chat with us, checking in every so often to see if we understand what she’s talking about, and because of this, it really makes us feel involved in the show. The persona that she adopts onstage plays a large role in how we ourselves enjoy and identify with the material, and the fact that Guterbock is so open and friendly puts us incredibly at ease from the start. 

This show is a great example of gentle and almost muted comedy that provides a light hour of respite. The humour here isn’t obvious, which is what makes it so clever. Geriatric Millennial is ideal for anyone looking for lighthearted relief and to experience intelligent jokes that don’t rely on being risque to be funny. 

By Katerina Partolina Schwartz

Photo credit: Karla Gowlett