★★★★

“Roberts feels at home on the stage, performing with a laidback confidence that sees anecdotes flowing seamlessly together”

According to Sarah Roberts, the only two things we should take away from her show are firstly, how hot she is, and secondly, how talented. Whilst you are entitled to your own opinions on her attractiveness, although this reviewer is firmly in the ‘certified hottie’ camp, Sarah Roberts’ work in progress show is conclusive in demonstrating she is indeed a talent to watch.

Roberts’ is a millennial with unashamed main character energy. It’s an affliction fed by an adolescence inspired by iconic noughties teen dramas. But the troubled glamour of Effie and Marissa can’t be matched in real life when you go to an all-girls school and don’t meet boys until you’re sixteen. Coming to terms with turning thirty, dealing with anxiety and discovering her sexuality all feature in this hour of stand-up, interspersed with plenty of pop culture references that will be music to millenials’ ears.

Roberts feels at home on the stage, performing with a laidback confidence that sees anecdotes flowing seamlessly together. Her cute, girly aesthetic and sweetly soft voice add to the charm. Suiting the main character vibe, she often reacts immediately to her own jokes before the audience has time to respond – remarking on how much of a ‘legend’ she is, or following the punchline with a breathy titter. This only adds to the fun – reinforcing the view that it’s Sarah’s world we’re all living in.

Despite that, it’s clear she still wants to be relatable – with her regularly taking the temperature of the audience. Whether that be asking who else attended an all-girls school, or auditioned for S Club Juniors. Unsurprisingly, some questions receive much louder cheers of familiarity than others. But that never impacts the laughter for the content that follows which, other than a bit about being Henry VIII in a past life, feels specific and fresh.

Visual aids help build a picture of Roberts, in case you didn’t know who she was. A badly cropped image of her face transplanted onto the body of a cartoon worm looms large over the stage through most of the show, whilst an extended bit about Candy Crush as a coping mechanism is supported by a slide show complete with tacky fonts and intricate transitions.

One might say that this show explores 21st century feminine identity and how it’s formed through media and the male gaze. But that would be far too analytical a critique. Really, it’s a show of ‘just girly things’ topped off with a vindicating dance number that’s relatable in its honest and unique perspective.

KATE-LOIS ELLIOTT: GENTRIFCKED* at the Museum of Comedy

★★★

“Leaning into her charms, rather than rebelling against them, will see this show develop from strength to strength”

Kate-Lois Elliott wants us to know a secret about her. Something she’s only just discovered herself. Something punters may have guessed just from the double barrel first name but wasn’t obvious to her. She’s actually quite middle class.

Gentrif*cked, Kate-Lois Elliott’s debut, work-in-progress show, delivers as much swearing and millennial angst as you might expect from the title. She takes us through unsuccessful dating histories, loathing for estate agents and career woes. What you probably wouldn’t expect is that her mum grew up in a cult.

Elliott draws us in with this revelation and continues the family theme, telling us about her absent father. An observation on how dad’s pass on their wisdom draws some good, early laughs, particularly from some chortling dads in the crowd. She doubles down with a light foray into audience participation which works like a charm and provides some material for a quality call-back in the closing moments of the show.

Once she gets going, Elliott’s delivery is quite charming. She commands the stage of the intimate Museum of Comedy with her animated, high-energy performance. There are moments of brashness which for the most part don’t land. Probably because we don’t quite believe them. The overall impression we are left with is someone who is really quite sweet and middle class, who you just can’t imagine doing as many drugs as she wants you to believe.

But back to the cult. On the surface it’s the most original element in the otherwise well-trodden material, and a recurring theme that comes back throughout the show. Despite informing us that it was actually quite a boring cult by Netflix standards, it seems she wants to talk about her mum’s experience as this sounds intriguing. Much of the humour of it all does in fact come from the banality of the rules keeping the cult members in check, and the unexpected paths those who leave seem to take.

But here Kate-Lois is mistaken. Her strongest material is taken not from her mother’s experiences, but from her own, theatrical ones. She seems most at ease recounting her experiences teaching Shakespeare and telling us about the evolution of human storytelling. I left wanting more of this, as she clearly has some of her own unique stories to tell.

Gentrif*cked is safe but enjoyable fun that will no doubt improve after the work in progress feedback. Leaning into her charms, rather than rebelling against them, will see this show develop from strength to strength.

Tag Archives: Amber Woodward

Sarah Roberts : Do You Know Who I Am?

★★★★

The Bill Murray

SARAH ROBERTS : DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? at The Bill Murray

★★★★

“Roberts feels at home on the stage, performing with a laidback confidence that sees anecdotes flowing seamlessly together”

SARAH ROBERTS : DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? at The Bill Murray

Reviewed on 6th August 2023

by Amber Woodward

Previously reviewed by Amber:

Duck | ★★★★ | Arcola Theatre | June 2023

Kate-Lois Elliott: Gentrif*cked | ★★★ | Museum of Comedy | August 2023

Sarah Roberts

Sarah Roberts

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Kate-Lois Elliott: Gentrif*cked

★★★

Museum of Comedy

KATE-LOIS ELLIOTT: GENTRIFCKED* at the Museum of Comedy

★★★

“Leaning into her charms, rather than rebelling against them, will see this show develop from strength to strength”