Live Review: Soho Theatre, London
Words: Konrad Obiora
Picture: © Jon Appleyard
21 September 2006
Josie Long greeted the audience warmly as they entered the studio at the Soho Theatre for the first night of her performance of Kindness and Exuberance.
As Josie invited the audience to pick up homemade badges and comics, and write a message for the board on the table before taking their seats, the sounds of soft lo-fi music and the teeny-bopper tunes of 1960s girl group the Shangri-Las could be heard.
Picture collages and the show’s title, drawn in large child-like letters, formed the backdrop to the stage.
Josie's extended run at the Soho Theatre follows a successful summer during which she won the 2006 If.comeddie Best Newcomer award at the Edinburgh Fringe and garnered praise from critics for Kindness and Exuberance, which is her first hour long show.
It is hard to resist Josie's infectious enthusiasm and all round cheerfulness and this was exhibited when she came on stage and said: "I'm almost too excited to do this gig".
Josie started the show by explaining to the audience the idea behind the stage design and props; she also talked about her experience at the Fringe, which she described as a combination of fast food and self-doubt.
The 24 year-old stand-up comedian was very humble about her expectations for the show and had a supply of stickers for the audience if they made it through the hour. Josie’s humility and honesty endeared her to the audience.
The show was roughly divided into three sections: 1) Josie’s favourite small things, 2) things Josie liked but not as much and 3) Josie’s pet peeves. Within this framework Josie shared her observations and fascination of people and objects, all artfully illustrated, that she had seen in her daily life.
Josie told two truly hilarious stories that had the audience in hysterics and this reviewer laughing so hard he was unable to catch his breath. The first story was dubbed “the crackhead who stole Christmas” and the second story involved Josie using the name tag on her second-hand winter coat as identification to withdraw money from a bank.
In many ways Kindness and Exuberance is Josie’s statement about who she is and why she prefers to look on the bright side of life, it is also a declaration to cynics that being a creative amateur is preferable to being a miserabilist. At one stage in the show Josie gave humorous Latin definitions for the words ‘amateur’ and ‘professional’.
Despite loathing her part-time job working in a market research call centre, it was clear from the show that Josie’s love of stand-up comedy gave her creative freedom to connect with people. She talked enthusiastically and poignantly about her influences, which included the punk fanzine Sniffin Glue, the author Aldous Huxley and her late grandmother.
Towards the end of the show Josie picked up a red ukulele and sang an improvised song in what she described as a “sub, sub, sub standard Bob Dylan impression”. It was a fitting end to a highly enjoyable show – long live the amateur.
Links
Josie Long's MySpace
Maverick Comedy
Words: Konrad Obiora
Picture: © Jon Appleyard
21 September 2006
Josie Long greeted the audience warmly as they entered the studio at the Soho Theatre for the first night of her performance of Kindness and Exuberance.
As Josie invited the audience to pick up homemade badges and comics, and write a message for the board on the table before taking their seats, the sounds of soft lo-fi music and the teeny-bopper tunes of 1960s girl group the Shangri-Las could be heard.
Picture collages and the show’s title, drawn in large child-like letters, formed the backdrop to the stage.
Josie's extended run at the Soho Theatre follows a successful summer during which she won the 2006 If.comeddie Best Newcomer award at the Edinburgh Fringe and garnered praise from critics for Kindness and Exuberance, which is her first hour long show.
It is hard to resist Josie's infectious enthusiasm and all round cheerfulness and this was exhibited when she came on stage and said: "I'm almost too excited to do this gig".
Josie started the show by explaining to the audience the idea behind the stage design and props; she also talked about her experience at the Fringe, which she described as a combination of fast food and self-doubt.
The 24 year-old stand-up comedian was very humble about her expectations for the show and had a supply of stickers for the audience if they made it through the hour. Josie’s humility and honesty endeared her to the audience.
The show was roughly divided into three sections: 1) Josie’s favourite small things, 2) things Josie liked but not as much and 3) Josie’s pet peeves. Within this framework Josie shared her observations and fascination of people and objects, all artfully illustrated, that she had seen in her daily life.
Josie told two truly hilarious stories that had the audience in hysterics and this reviewer laughing so hard he was unable to catch his breath. The first story was dubbed “the crackhead who stole Christmas” and the second story involved Josie using the name tag on her second-hand winter coat as identification to withdraw money from a bank.
In many ways Kindness and Exuberance is Josie’s statement about who she is and why she prefers to look on the bright side of life, it is also a declaration to cynics that being a creative amateur is preferable to being a miserabilist. At one stage in the show Josie gave humorous Latin definitions for the words ‘amateur’ and ‘professional’.
Despite loathing her part-time job working in a market research call centre, it was clear from the show that Josie’s love of stand-up comedy gave her creative freedom to connect with people. She talked enthusiastically and poignantly about her influences, which included the punk fanzine Sniffin Glue, the author Aldous Huxley and her late grandmother.
Towards the end of the show Josie picked up a red ukulele and sang an improvised song in what she described as a “sub, sub, sub standard Bob Dylan impression”. It was a fitting end to a highly enjoyable show – long live the amateur.
Links
Josie Long's MySpace
Maverick Comedy
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