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The Splash Zone could be the front row of a live comedy show (particularly in the Gallagher era), but it’s also a reference to any spot of insecurity that may exist for anyone, audience member or performer alike.
What about when Zoe doesn’t feel like telling anyone she’s a comedian? She lets us know about the time her backup plan backfired on her.
This hour finds her combining traditional storytelling with some throwaway gags, the most literal and visible gag coming via her own homemade T-shirt gun, which also may be used (to varying degrees of comical failure) to launch other clothing items and objects. Her stories find her wondering about some people she’s encountered over the years who happened to fall into their own version of the proverbial “splash zone.”
There’s the two US exchange students, having only known Miami before turning up in her tiny town of Grafton, Australia, asking if they might see a kangaroo up close. There’s the two Trump supporters who turned up at her show in America the day after the election. There’s the way she feels as an Australian in England, which is ironic considering their political histories. There’s that taxi driver believing Australia is a hoax, because to him the Earth is flat. There’s her feeling imposter syndrome in Australia for living on stolen land. There’s Aussies all wanting to claim Irish heritage. And there’s her wondering how best to use her voice once you’ve seen what’s really happening. So she’s donating 50 percent of her bucket take to a charity helping families in need in Gaza. It might not be much. But at least it’s something.
Zoe Coombs Marr: The Splash Zone plays Monkey Barrel through Aug. 24, 2025.
