Midsumma: Dolly Di*mond’s Bl*nkety Bl*nks

I’m not going to beat around the bush. Dolly Di*mond’s Bl*nkety Bl*nks is a hot mess – but it’s the funniest and most delightful hot mess you’ll ever see.

And speaking of bush, Rhonda Burchmore’s needs trimming, and her dried-out lady-garden needs watering. Such is the level of innuendo in this show. If you’ve ever seen the 1970s Australian TV game show Blankety Blanks, which was hosted by the legendary Graham Kennedy (or American TV’s Match Game, on which Blankety Blanks was based), you’ll know the format: an outrageously rude and funny host reads out statements from a card, six celebrity panel members guess the missing word (the ‘blank’) and two contestants try to match what the celebrities write.

The format doesn’t really matter – what audiences love is the sexual innuendo. And Melbourne’s own Dolly Diamond delivers with a joy and quick wit that is irresistible. Even when everyone on stage and in the audience is arguing about the scoring system, even when some of the celebrities don’t quite ‘get it’, even when there seems to be absolutely no structure to the proceedings, Dolly carries it off.

Dolly’s supreme talent in audience interaction is on full display here. No one can beat her for funny, sharp, quick repartee. I looked around at the audience a couple of times during the show, and every face was full of happiness. If Foxtel’s Comedy Channel doesn’t sign Dolly Diamond up for a new TV series of Blankety Blanks, they’re mad.