Erika Ehler: I Got Some Dope Ass Memories With People That I’ll Never F*ck With Again

Edinburgh Fringe – Monkey Barrel

I Got Some Dope Ass Memories With People That I’ll Never F*ck With Again is the latest hour by Erika Ehler where, using her own experiences as a basis, she deconstructs the concept of friendship break-ups in a meandering, careful reflection of a show.

Although from the outset the overarching narrative thread is honed in on Ehler’s experience and story in relation to the issue of friendship break-ups, but in reality this topic is only lightly peppered in throughout the hour, the actual main focus is on the tangential offshoots, which are wildly entertaining and become these really dark, shockingly funny moments that contrast with the rest of the show, and are generally funnier in the lack of seriousness in which they are approached.

Throughout, Ehler creates these really vulnerable moments where we can’t help but admire her for sharing her experience with us, for talking us through her story, but it is certainly a lot more timid and deliberately careful where she holds back on the comedy in favour of the story. It’s here where we truly see just how much she has control over the atmosphere in the room, and how quickly she can change direction with how she wants us to feel at any given moment. And the difference in quality of material is noticeable. When she goes for that kind of no-holds barred acerbic commentary is incredibly easy to enjoy, but that’s also the purpose of light relief in this otherwise quite difficult show, both for us to listen to and Ehler to talk about (at least we have to assume from her demeanour).

‘Meandering, careful reflection of a show’

Despite this hour being a careful unraveling of a narrative arc, the trepidation in Ehler’s approach to the show and her delivery, as if she’s unsure about something; we can guess but it’s not clear exactly why she pulls back so much. It’s a useful collective experience to acknowledge and to open up a conversation about, but because of how much of a serious topic it is, Ehler sometimes struggles with how to balance the two sides of the show. She’s at her best when she centers herself and lets some of her trademark sharpness of wit out freely, but otherwise there is a restraint that grounds the hour quite significantly, as if despite friendship break-ups being the topic she’s chosen to write an hour on, she’s not particularly comfortable with it onstage.

The strength of this show is in its tangents rather than the narrative arc, which allows Ehler greater control over the atmosphere. I Got Some Dope Ass Memories With People That I’ll Never F*ck With Again isn’t a confessional or therapy show per se, but it’s dense; it’s not complicated, but it’s a lot to process. Ehler alleviates some of this throughout the hour with a biting sense of humour, so that we never feel like we’re anywhere but a comedy show. 

By Katerina Partolina Schwartz

Photo Credit: Rebecca Need-Menear