Ruth Agnew reviews Invisible to the Naked AI, a work in progress show performed by Nicola Brown, at Little Andromeda, Saturday 3 October 2026.
Dunedin has lots of hidden, underrated treasures – The Museum of Natural Mystery, Lan Yuan Chinese Garden, the Dead Souls Bookshop, and my new favourite, comedian Nicola Brown. Luckily for those who rarely venture south, Brown frequently travels to share her quick-witted, cleverly crafted shows with the rest of the world. I caught her work in progress show, Invisible to the Naked AI, at Little Andromeda this weekend, and wholeheartedly encourage you to catch it when it returns.
I would say that I saw Brown perform, but that statement stands at odds with the premise of the show: that women over forty become increasingly invisible in society. She proves her point with photos of her dance troupe where she cannot find herself, and a story about the time she hit a woman with her car (which almost became a meet cute / origin story). For those of us fading into the background blur of middle age, Brown is refreshingly relatable.
This is the second show of Brown’s I have been to; a couple of years ago I was lucky enough to catch Space Invaders, a hilarious solo show about vaginal prolapse. Brown’s comfortable over-sharing of subjects that shouldn’t be as taboo as they are is refreshing, and more valuable than we realise, given the cloak of silence cast over womens’ health.
While it may be difficult to lay eyes upon Brown, she makes up for that with the quality of what she says. Perhaps being invisible is less problematic if you ensure you can be clearly heard. Listen carefully, because Brown lays breadcrumbs throughout her fluent, fast-paced, funny delivery, sliding seamlessly into the next story before circling back to a previous point or punchline.
This show is unashamedly, unapologetically over-40s female-focused, with extra appeal for those who like things to be correct. I lost count of the number of times we were reminded that “vulva” refers to the external genitals, and “vagina” refers to the internal, but I know no one in attendance will ever make the mistake of muddling the two words again. By the time Brown had the audience out of our seats, shimmying to Queen, I wanted to hang out with her so much I was considering walking along dimly lit Dunedin roads in hope of a car-crash meet-cute (turned out to be unnecessary, as she was extremely approachable post-show and just as pleasant to talk to as her show persona suggested).
Despite its inclusion in the show’s name, there is no AI in the show, with the exception of some Australian festival pics taken by a professional photographer. There is, however, some excellent storytelling, belly laugh inducing anecdotes, and a three minute choreographed dance party complete with lighting effects. If that isn’t enough to encourage you to buy tickets when this show returns, know that I haven’t even touched on Brown’s background as a 90s aerobics instructor and wearer of MC Hammer pants. Go see Invisible to the Naked AI while you can.
Invisible to the Naked AI was performed Saturday 3 October 2026.
