Entering Eden Court’s One Touch Theatre in the minutes before Grace Campbell takes to the stage with her 2024 tour, I am struck by a subtle sense of sisterhood amongst the about-to-be audience.
Barring a handful of courageous chaps, it’s fair to say the crowd is nigh-on fully female – and our oestrogen-charged energy only ramps up a notch as Grace herself springs from the wings to greet the gathering.
In my preparatory homework before attending the show I heard this comedian describe herself as suffering from “main character syndrome”.
But seeing her in the flesh it makes sudden sense – Grace IS the main character; her presence is enticing and electric and from the moment she opens her mouth the audience is hanging on every word.
Grace is in-your-face bold and brash, yet at the same time open and honest.
She caricatures herself mercilessly, before dropping the mask for moments of heartbreaking vulnerability that leave the audience holding its collective breath until the clever comic flips the switch again, providing permission to laugh even as they contemplate the worst of womanly experience.
Grace knows her craft – don’t be fooled by her nonchalant delivery. From her scattergun warm-up to her carefully choreographed act, with poetic interludes and audience interaction, the show is slick.
For the duration of the performance (billed at just under two hours, it felt like five minutes we were having so much fun), Grace has the audience in the palm of her hand, carrying us along on a laugh-a-minute journey through her life, lovers and loathings.
Covering everything from Andrew Tate to abortion, Grace Campbell is shameless in the best possible way – opening doors to taboo topics and inviting us to step through together to assess and address.
But more than that she is funny. Fully laugh-out-loud funny from start to finish with no let-up.
The show is Grace Campbell is on Heat – but you should know that in 2024 Grace Campbell is on fire and her star is only rising. Catch her if you can.
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