★★★★☆
There’s something immediately disarming about Triple J Weekend Breakfast host Jordan Barr’s Choir Girl. The show feels like you’ve just sat down for a slightly unhinged catch-up with a friend, rather than a formal performance. Jordan is charming, sharp, and just outrageous enough to keep you both captivated and mildly concerned.
Having seen Jordan’s show at the Melbourne Comedy Festival annually since 2023, it has been an absolute pleasure to watch her grow in confidence and chaos. This year’s show has officially cemented her as one of my favourite comedians.
What makes Choir Girl so compelling is how deeply relatable it is, even when she veers into the niche and specific. Jordan leans into the particularities of her own experience and somehow lands somewhere universal.
In some way, shape, or form, all of us can resonate with being a young girl feeling like God’s favourite, walking into church choir practice.
Jordan’s comedic voice is steeped in self-deprecation without feeling tired or performative. She’ll undercut herself in one breath. And then, in the next, deliver a line that reveals a deeper, sharper truth.
There’s a running thread about not being bullied, which quickly unravels into a show that is entirely about being bullied. This very meta thread gives the show its bite and cleverness – very true to Jordan’s style.
That same self-awareness carries through into her structure. Jordan has an exceptional instinct for timing – not just for punchlines, but for people too. She seems to know precisely when the audience is ready to move on, never overstaying a bit, never wringing a joke dry.
The result is a show that feels like a seamless journey, one that flows effortlessly from anecdote to confession to absurdity, without ever losing momentum.
Visually, the use of prop photos adds another unexpected dimension. Jordan has used PowerPoint slides in the past, so it is fun to see this gag evolve. The tangible element these props bring to the show makes it feel interactive without needing to lean on crowd work.
I also found it hilarious that one of these images (an awkward photo of a young Jordan) lay disconcertingly face-up for the remainder of the set, staring out at the audience. Whether intentional or not, it certainly brought a funny edge to the rest of the set.
Jordan has a knack for pulling out a deep-seated, slightly dark confession you didn’t even realise you’d internalised and articulating it with startling clarity. You feel it ripple through the room as laughter turns knowing, as people recognise themselves in what’s being said. It’s that rare kind of comedy that exposes and connects us as the silly little humans we are.
Despite her insistence that she doesn’t want anyone to talk to her after the show, Jordan creates a true sense of intimacy. You leave feeling like you know her, or at least like she’s articulated something you’ve been circling for years. It makes you want to reach out, to say “same,” even if you suspect she’d rather you didn’t.
Choir Girl is witty, laugh-out-loud funny, and quietly affecting. Jordan Barr proves herself once again as the cheeky and outrageously funny girl-next-door comedian that I can’t wait to see again soon!
Jordan Barr: Choir Girl runs to 19 April at The Westin – Four, as part of 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. 205 Collins Street Melbourne Vic 3000.
See further tour dates at the website link below.
Tickets: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/choir-girl/
Website: https://comedy.com.au/tour/jordan-barr/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/melbcomedyfestival/ and https://www.instagram.com/jbarr_666/
Images supplied.
