Skip to main content

Review of Sara Pascoe Vs History at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

There was a rather superb magic moment shared by those present at Sara Pascoe Vs History last night that I have reservations of whether I want to think it was totally spontaneous or not. I like to think that we have been the only ones to share that moment on Miss Pascoe's tour, but then I also like to think maybe not, as I would feel sad on other audiences not to have experienced it. Suffice to say it involved last comers and music. I hope you enjoyed it if you were there, despite any dignity that may have been lost as a result. I know I did (lost any dignity that is).

Anyway, to business. This was my first time watching a live stand up show and on this first experience perhaps I may go again. Miss Pascoe has a really rather delightful stage presence and an incredibly sharp wit. The loose premise of the show is that she quite frankly lays her life history and love life bare while intermingling the history of the title. So as she talks of such things as to whether she needs her friends once she has her man. she somehow then of all things links this into Adolf Hitler's love life. Then we might swing into some Freud and with a little bit of vagina action as well. It all gets rather graphic and intimate at times, but always constantly amusing, although maybe the squirmy version at times. There is also comedy from social comment gained, in particular a really rather great spin on the Page 3 controversy. I could see it work, actually I would like to see if work. You had to be there.

It is all very lady comedy in theory, but I didn't notice many gents not having a laugh most of the time. It was as I say all very rude in content, but I took great pleasure in the fact that this was no potty mouthed comedy. Hardly did a crude word pass Miss Pascoe's delightful lips during the show, so therefore take note those immature acts that have to add a swear word every other. If you think you are funny, there really quite clearly is no need for a f or three, as proven by this show.

It was an extremely funny evening from an up and coming performer that I am sure (hope) is really going to go places, even beyond QI! When the opportunity arises I shall certainly be back for more and I recommend you having a look as well. In the meantime, I am now going to prepare for the pleasures of March 1st...

««««

Performance reviewed: Thursday 5th February, 2015 at the Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton.

Sara Pascoe Vs History was performed at the Royal & Derngate (Royal) on Thursday 5th February, 2015 only. Her website for future tour dates can be found at http://www.sarapascoe.com/

For further details about the Royal & Derngate visit their website at http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk/


Popular posts from this blog

Review of & Juliet at Milton Keynes Theatre

First performed in 2019, & Juliet has become quite a global success, and now, as part of a UK Tour, it has arrived at Milton Keynes Theatre for a two-week run. Featuring a book by David West Read, it tells the what-if story of the survival of Juliet at the end of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet . Primarily a jukebox musical, it more specifically features the works of Swedish songwriter Max Martin (and friends, as the credits describe). The question is, does & Juliet provide more than the standard of many a jukebox musical before it, and does it honour the tragic tale from which it has sprung? Our story opens with William Shakespeare presenting his latest work, Romeo & Juliet , for the first time. However, when his wife, Anne Hathaway, learns how he intends the tale to end, she is away with his quill and planning on her reworking of the story. At the core of this touring production's success is Geraldine Sacdalan's powerhouse performance as Juliet. Her Juliet ...

Review of Northern Ballet - The Great Gatsby at Milton Keynes Theatre

This production of The Great Gatsby performed by Northern Ballet was my fifth encounter at the theatre of a full ballet production and as before, I happily share my review of the show with nearly zero knowledge of-the-art form and more of a casual theatre-goer. You could say that this is a poor direction to come in on a review, but I would say that casual audience are the ones to review this for. Over the years, Northern Ballet has set quite a high benchmark for ballet productions, and any audience member who is worth their salt as a ballet fan would no doubt have tickets for this new touring version of the 2013 version of The Great Gatsby , lovingly created by David Nixon OBE. So much is Nixon part of the very fabric of this show, that he not only provides the choreography and direction but also the initial scenario and costume design (assisted by Julie Anderson). So, discounting those ballet fans already sitting in the audience, what does this offer for the more casual theatre-goer ...

Review of The Rocky Horror Show at Milton Keynes Theatre

Richard O’Brien’s anarchic, surreal, and often incomprehensible musical, The Rocky Horror Show , has captivated audiences for over fifty years now. With this new tour, it feels as fresh and unpredictable as if it had just emerged from O’Brien's vivid imagination yesterday. While another review might seem unnecessary given the countless dressed-up fans who fill every theatre it visits, let’s go ahead and write one anyway. The Rocky Horror Show follows the adventures of Brad and Janet, a newly engaged couple. On a dark and stormy November evening, they run into car trouble and seek refuge at a mysterious castle reminiscent of Frankenstein’s. There, they encounter the eccentric handyman Riff-Raff, the outrageous scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter, and a host of other bizarre characters. What unfolds is a science fiction B-movie narrative that is at times coherent and at other times bewildering — yet somehow, that doesn’t seem to matter. I first saw The Rocky Horror Show in 2019 and exper...