ESSEX-BORN comic Sara Pascoe graced the stage on Saturday (June 25) to perform Animal, an insightful spin off to her recently released book, ‘Autobiography of the female body’. Quays News entertainment reporter Rae Coppola went along to review the evening…
Not usually shy to the stage, Sara Pascoe has worked as a comedy actor, sketch performer, improviser and writer, until moving to stand-up in late 2007.
The multi-talented vegan set expectations low by appearing surprised that people had come to watch her show, and stating her overwhelming fear that no one would return following the interval.
However, these anxieties were ill-founded. Once she found her rhythm, a more confident Sara emerged, and the audience could not get enough of her.
Great show by the less confident @sarapascoe at Lowry tonight! A bit mad, but nice mad.
— Justme (@Grecovia) June 25, 2016
Never short of energy, the performance earned her chuckles all round, with the occasional belt of throw-your-head-back laughter. There was even a pause by Pascoe herself as she recovered and tried to maintain her straight face and cool manner.
She discussed what it meant to be a good person, offering humour with stories from her (not so innocent) teenage years and an encounter with an oversexed disabled fan.
Not forgetting a rather embarrassing misunderstanding of the mile high club, and a situation involving unrequested life insurance.
The whole routine juxtaposed the silly with the serious, based on her own life experiences as well as news stories, and it worked.
At times the comedy became scattershot, with one story going off on a tangent before eventually honing in on the original point, but this did not deflect from her clever way of tying everything in.
One of the show’s highlights was when Pascoe gave a momentary pause for heckles, obviously not expecting one, and an audience member piped up.
After a few accent issues she understood what was said, but did not know how to retort or continue.
Eventually, the person apologised for saying anything at all, and things settled down until she utilised the comment in the next story.
https://twitter.com/Tweetellobeee/status/746824907959468032
Moving onto the topic of gender really showcased the post-feminist’s talent, even if it stemmed off the back of a comment about reality TV programme RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Watching the show, notepad and pen in hand, she eagerly looked for anything that could cause offense, before hailing the levels of empathy, goodness, and body positivity portrayed.
Pascoe’s content was insightful, and her tangential brain no doubt got the audience thinking about the angles which would otherwise go unnoticed.
Who else could link glow worms to pubic hair and make it make seem like a logical – albeit hilarious – theory? Never-mind one that could surely pass as lecture material if it was not for the self-ridiculing comments amongst it.
Pascoe did her content justice, and performed a fiercely educated show in a light-hearted way. It was quirky, witty, and extremely original. It was a delight to watch the likeable character on her quest for goodness, and by the end of the show, the whole audience was behind her.
If you did not understand one of the gags, do not fear, you may or may not find it in the Apocryphal Bible.
By Rae Coppola
@raethedeer
Recent Comments