What do you do when you want to be remembered, but your boyfriend develops acute short-term memory loss? Write a stand-up comedy special about it, of course! After taking New Zealand and Australia by storm with rave reviews, Melanie Bracewell has released her debut comedy special Forget Me Not.
A show about desperately trying to be remembered, love, and eggs. Melanie expertly weaves comic strands of relatable humour, with an unbelievable story tying it all together. You may have seen her work in ‘Wellington Paranormal’ as a writer for all four seasons of the smash-hit comedy series. One of her episodes took out ‘Best Comedy Script’ in the New Zealand Television Awards. Or you’ve seen her on TikTok, where her videos impersonating Jacinda Ardern went global, appearing on the BBC. But stand-up comedy is where Melanie shines.
She has won the Billy T Award and Best Newcomer Award in the New Zealand Comedy Festival, Directors Choice in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and was hand-selected in 2023 to perform in the prestigious Just For Laughs festival in Montreal.
From the moment she took the microphone for the first time, Melanie has been in hot demand, performing regularly in both in Australia and New Zealand. A popular contestant on ‘Have You Been Paying Attention’, she has managed to convince the Australian public to look past her accent, and realise she’s bloody funny (even if she is a kiwi). You may have also seen her being asked about her dating life on The Project, probed about her celebrity interactions on Triple J, or walking through the blue door on ‘Thank God You’re Here’.
There are very few successful New Zealand comedy shows that Melanie hasn’t been a part of. She’s contributed as a writer on 7 Days, Have You Been Paying Attention (NZ), Wellington Paranormal and Mean Mums all while performing award-winning shows all around the country.
Other notable performances include opening for Jim Gaffigan, opening for Norah Jones – yes, she really did comedy before a Norah Jones concert – and performing at a pro showcase with some real heavy hitters at the Gotham Comedy Club in New York. In 2023 she was invited to perform at the prestigious ‘Just For Laughs’ Festival in Montreal and smashed it in front of sold out crowds.
If you haven’t seen her on the stage or the screen yet, you’ve probably at least seen one of her tweets. They pop up everywhere, from Buzzfeed, to Playboy (the funny bits not the nude bits) and even The New York Times. She also reached worldwide fame when her impressions of Jacinda Ardern went viral, as covered by The Guardian and the BBC.
