DIVINE FEMININE
Soho Theatre
★★★★
“Tightly crafted and sharply delivered”
What did you want to be when you were a kid? Prashasti Singh wanted to be exactly like her father – a man, with all the prestige and perks that came with it. Sadly, growing up has delivered ageing, sexism, capitalism and – gasp! – no husband so far. In a show steeped in real life and refreshingly free of festive gloss, ‘Prashasti Singh: Divine Feminine’ provides laughter, cheers and reflection on the complexities of womanhood today.
Hailing from India and fresh from her Edinburgh Fringe debut, Prashasti Singh returns to London with a razor sharp exploration of life on the frontline of modern femininity. While rooted in Indian experience, her incisive storytelling and smartly woven contextual cues ensure appeal to a broad audience. Tackling trauma, feminism, ageing, self love and more, there’s something for everyone in this tight sixty minute set.
Singh delivers sharp, relatable humour with the ease of a master storyteller, brimming with personality, vivid anecdotes and disarming honesty. Her set radiates authenticity, diving unexpectedly deep into her experiences of family and therapy. Bursts of Hindi spark raucous laughter. Every story is tightly structured, flowing with multiple callbacks and no loose ends. The performance feels effortlessly conversational – her crowd work never misses a beat – beneath which is clever construction that builds momentum and ends on a real bang.
The material skewers big topics with a refreshingly sharp perspective. Singh’s no-holds-barred style dismantles shame-provoking situations for women the world over – marriage, family, careers, or the lack thereof – exposing impossibly high expectations. While centred on female experience, Singh deftly weaves men into the narrative, even if it’s playfully chiding.
Singh’s delivery is assured and absorbing throughout. She shifts gears with ease, sliding from deadpan to absurd, from introspective to high energy, and always landing the perfect tone. Though we cover a lot of ground in sixty minutes, the pacing feels elastic, stretching to linger on a detail before snapping back for punchlines, and never losing momentum.
That said, the occasional bursts of untranslated Hindi leave some audience members momentarily adrift. Two standout sections cleverly lean into cultural context, though other cues slip through the cracks. The set is consistently funny though only briefly reaches breathless, doubled over heights. The build up to the closing punchline falters slightly, but the final joke still lands with force thanks to clever writing.
The staging is deliberately simple, with pink lighting and a burst of rock intro music. An easel stands ready to receive two comically oversized posters supplying context for Indian cultural references, which are revealed (and revered) with theatrical flourish.
‘Prashasti Singh: Divine Feminine’ opens with a wry disclaimer: your laughter may be accompanied by sadness, an apt summary for a show fusing irreverent humour with powerful social commentary. Tightly crafted and sharply delivered, it’s a compelling hour of comedy well worth catching and a clear sign that Singh is one to watch.
DIVINE FEMININE
Soho Theatre
Reviewed on 16th December 2025
by Hannah Bothelton
Photography by Ray Roberts
