There are several male comedians famous for doing seriously blue material, they tend to wrap it up with a sort of dick tugging machismo that I find fairly off putting. My main impression of Sarah Millican’s performance was that it was like spending an hour with your favourite filthy Aunty. She appears so homely, sweet and nonthreatening, but the title of the show is a hint at it’s adult content in more ways than one. There was actually very little innuendo in the show, because Sarah is not afraid to call a spade, a huge dildo. In fact one of the topics she covered was the names we use to refer to our ‘privates’. She did require some audience participation, but she was very nice about it. She was so open and down to earth, she actually made you feel comfortable about the sexual nature of most of her material.
It was a very strong stand up show with no audio visual help or theatrical devices and the audience was kept entertained from beginning to end. Sarah had created a nice and handy structure to hang the non stop gags off that involved the six questions she asked herself after her marriage broke up a few years ago. It was obviously a rough time, heading for 30, single, heart broken, moving back in with her parents and wondering what the future would hold. But she had clearly moved on and has been with her current partner for three years, so could give a more dispassionately hilarious view of it all.
Her Geordie northern English accent is quite broad and she pumps the jokes out thick and fast, so you have to stay on your toes to keep up at times. It took me a little while to warm to her, I wondered if the rude language and child hating jokes were a gimmick, there for mere shock value but her genuine warmth and good intentions won me over and I was guffawing loudly before the end. For a debut show, Sarah proves that she is a born stand up comedian, confident, comfortable with her audience, quick on her feet, and a joy to spend time with. A highly recommended show.
Visit the Comedy Festival Website for booking details.