'In this way I shall preserve many things that would otherwise be lost in oblivion. I shall find daily employment for myself, which will save me from indolence and help to keep off the spleen, and I shall lay up a store of entertainment for my after life.'

For James Boswell posts please follow the labels on the right.

This blog mainly contains reviews from the Edinburgh Festivals from 2008 to 2010 which I wrote for the Edinburgh Festivals Magazine. These reviews cover everything from comedy to contemporary dance; children's theatre to Handel.


Sunday 23 October 2011

Sarah Millican: Typical Woman Review

Sarah Millican: Typical Woman

‘So what exactly does a “promoter” do’ I ask the guy standing next to me in the queue. Clearly not having come up with any rehearsed answer, he seems unsure. ‘I work for ABC. I suppose I search for talent at the Fringe for U.S television.’ ‘Sounds like a pretty decent job’ I suggest. ‘Yeah, maybe’ he shrugs ‘it gets a bit wearing after five years though.’

Not surprisingly landing a job like this, for a guy not passed 30 involved an Ivy League University. Sarah Millican is not the sort of comedian who you’d imagine sitting well with graduates from Yale or Harvard. Her show, broadly about women, rehearses the familiar clichés of the fairer sex not being able to park a car, liking clothes, shopping and being pampered. Conversely men like rolling in mud, can ‘fix things’ and urinate standing up.

Yet, while Millican initially plays safe with her humour, she quickly gets into full swing. Her playful banter, quick witted responses and natural interaction with the audience make it clear she is a natural comedian.

It also becomes apparent that beneath the veneer of a sweet Tyneside lass Millican, like the men, isn’t averse to rolling about in the verbal mud. Much of her material is filthy, and she probes the audience and exposes her feelings about farting, pornography and men who can ‘block the toilet.

It’s difficult not to laugh along with a comedian who seems completely at home on stage telling jokes and laughing along with the audience, Ivy League education or not.

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