Katherine Ryan dances her way onto the stage to thunderous applause. She's an act on the up and it's clear from the reaction of the sold out audience that in the eyes of her fans, she can do little wrong at the moment.
She delivers her gags with a childlike glee, veering from knowing coyness to all out filth in a split second! She's clearly delighting in her increased profile from a series of recent appearances on TV shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Mock the Week. As she reels off joke after joke, she looks like a performer at the height of her game and is clearly in her element.
Ryan won't be to everyone's taste. Much of her material is focused on celebrity culture and is peppered with references to Rihanna, Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian. Her apparent celebrity obsession is offset with personal anecdotes about growing up in Canada as well as a healthy dose of banter with the audience, engaging punters playfully rather than the more aggressive style of interaction that some acts go for.
Despite her sometimes childlike persona and some of the more frothy bits of material, she is clearly a consummate and highly skilled comic writer. Her set is excellently paced and thematically varied.
It's a perfect time to see Katherine Ryan as she is likely to get much more well known and start to play larger venues. The intimate surrounding of Soho Theatre's upstairs space suits her friendly, kooky and often filthy style perfectly.
Katherine Ryan Nature's Candy is next on at Soho Theatre on 24 February. Tickets cost £12.50 / £10.
