Princess Diana Nguyen graced the Melbourne Town Hall Portico Room stage by skipping and floating into view. You could picture the forest animals, flowers and fairies dancing around her by the music that played in the air, giving off fun, free and happy Disney princess vibes. As quickly as these vibes arrived, they disappeared with the flick of Diana’s hands and we were taken back to a reality where life isn’t a fairytale.
In 2023, Diana Nguyen thought that she found her forever prince, went through a break-up, flew to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago to heal her heart (but not her feet), and ended up freezing her eggs. Sunny Side Up is Diana Nguyen’s heartfelt, eloquent and reflective recap on the year that was and her journey thus far.
Diana Nguyen has always been a very bubbly and engaging artist. She loves story time with her audience and enjoys interacting with them even more. A natural at crowd work, one would wonder if Nguyen had the ability to dial the chipper mood down for the more serious moments. But she can! And she does so with ease.
From star signs and Vegemite to Hot Vit Lon (Vietnamese eggs, or Balut if you’re Filipino), no stone is left unturned. Diana even does hilarious impersonations of both her mum and a Vietnamese street vendor in Vietnam that just happens to be selling Hot Vit Lon on the street you’re walking down.
Using her voice and body language, Diana magically transforms into these characters and it almost feels like they’re alternate personas of her being. She knows them intimately well, which is why they’re so good when she turns into them! During the more serious moments, Diana has the power to captivate a room by her presence and voice alone, and if she so wills it, can even have her audience hang on the edge of their seats.
Sunny Side Up is not just about eggs, although they do play an important part in Diana’s tale. The title of the show alone instils optimism, looking on the bright side of life and towards a future with promise. Diana even brings back her beloved ukulele that we haven’t seen since her ‘Chasing Keanu Reeves’ show. During a swift, sweet and clever moment, Diana Nguyen even showcases her beautiful singing voice by serenading the audience to a tune that many will find very familiar, even if the lyrics are not.
Having seen Diana Nguyen perform her previous works ‘Chasing Keanu Reeves’ and ‘All In’, I can confirm that Sunny Side Up is by far her strongest show yet. From ditching the prince, embarking on a personal pilgrimage to heal her heart, scooping eggs, and through all the humour and history of an eventful year, what Diana Nguyen has created in turn with Sunny Side Up is an intimate and beautiful reflection of a moment in time. This is Diana’s a fork in the road story where the conclusion is the discovery that the world is her oyster.
Diana Nguyen is an open book, wears her heart on her sleeve, is more than willing to share the juicy details with you, and is ready to embark on her next adventure. But first, she wants to tell you all about what has happened so far.
Diana Nguyen’s Sunny Side Up is effervescent, sincere and charming.
Diana Nguyen is currently performing Sunny Side Up as part of the 2024 Melbourne International Comedy Festival until April 21st at Melbourne Town Hall in the Portico Room.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2024/shows/sunny-side-up
https://www.instagram.com/realdiananguyen
Photography supplied.