Aussie comedian Sarah Kendall is currently eight and a half months pregnant, which adds a certain measure of jeopardy to this show: will she get through it without starting to give birth? Will that bit where she pretends to be a maniacally laughing fox prove just a bit too much? Does Londonist not know all that much about what causes a woman to go into labour? Possibly.
This is not the first time Kendall has created a whole new human being. She already has a daughter who, as well as inspiring a routine about what a fucking nightmare toddlers are, provides the backbone of the show: namely, just what kind of a world is this little girl growing up into? There follows some clever, sweary examinations of #EverydaySexism, like what would happen if women made R&B videos the same way men do and how pole dancing has insinuated its way into day-to-day life, and spawns our new favourite put-down. From now on, whenever we spot an example of Shoreditch twattery, we will declare "That's just like something Tom Cruise would do".
If it all sounds a bit feminist/worthy/dull then a) you probably need to redefine what you think of as feminist and b) it's great. Kendall's not as structurally inventive as Claudia O'Doherty or as lyrically whimsical as Josie Long, she's a straight-up stand-up who's pissed off and has some good jokes about it. And wants to tell you them before she pops.
Sarah Kendall: Get Up, Stand-Up is at the Soho Theatre until 9 February, 9.15pm. Tickets are £10-£15. We saw this show on a press ticket.
