Ah, that awkward moment when you tweet
someone to try and catch their attention and it turns out they're
standing right next to you. It's times like these when you realise
how distracting these tweets and Googles and pokes really are. I
look up from my touch-screen and see Susan Calman next to me,
chatting relaxedly to some acquaintances before her show This
Woman's Also Not For Turning at the Soho Theatre. Seeing her off of
the stage and milling around with the civilians made me panic that
she might be late for her own show, I resolve with myself that she
probably has that under control.
She begins the show on the positive note of
disappointment, hers and others, and gives us a brief insight into
her background and how she gave up being a solicitor to become a
stand-up comedian. She compares her parents' disappointment, (being
a solicitor apparently was the only thing that went halfway to
making up for the fact she was gay - her words) to her own, when
she was recently asked to be the support act for Russell Brand but
didn't quite receive the reception she was hoping for.
She soon moves on to talking about her civil
partnership to her girlfriend which highlighted to me how sterile
that process all seems, with restrictions even on the music you can
play and the readings that can be used. I didn't know this and I
think it must have been news to others in the audience too. People
were visibly rapt with interest in what Susan was saying and
despite the content being mainly on the topic of gay marriage
equality it was devoid of the easy stereotypes and the usual
associations which can sometimes dominate gay comedic material. It
wasn't full of 'in-jokes' and Susan made the stories seem normal
and accessible, filled with the hilarious banalities of
relationships that you could see loads of people nodding along with
recognition of.
It is difficult not to share all the
brilliant details of this show but I am keen not to ruin the genius
of it, with each point she made demonstrating her fantastic skill
for observation and description, all topped off with it being
performed in her strong, quite high-pitched Scottish accent, which,
and I don't know why, seems to make everything slightly more
funny.
You can't help but feel warm towards Susan
who is naturally likeable and honest about, frankly, some pretty
crazy stuff regarding, cats, female facial hair and that well-known
deity, Jodie Foster. The set had me laughing throughout, and made
me feel marginally more sane about some of my own more obsessive
character traits. In contrast, the denouement of the show left me
with goosebumps on my arms and tears in my eyes. I came away from
it really thinking about what I was doing for marriage
equality and with a renewed sense of wanting to fight for a cause,
which whilst not being something that directly affects me at the
moment, should be supported for those who it does. When such apathy
is already apparently present in me, I can't express how important
and necessary this stand-up show is, to open the eyes and minds of
wider society; a must-see!
Susan Calman is on at London's Soho Theatre
until 24 November. To book, click here.
www.susancalman.com
