Lucy Porter: Pass It On (rating 4/5)
Lucy Porter is a comedian who knows her audience. Now officially a fringe veteran, she continues to draw large crowds and keeps her audience fully emerged in her reflections on day to day domesticity, the changes that middle age brings and how it will seem like a golden era once old age kicks in.
What others have criticised her for – comedy for the middle aged and middle class – is exactly her strength and not something that she feels the need to apologise for.
There’s a self-deprecation to her routine, from gentle mocking of yoga rather than medicine as the way to deal with health problems, to the search for relaxed stretch jeans in Marks and Spencer.
The show was written partly after the death of her parents and there is a strong sense of mortality, such as measuring the remainder of your life by the number of pairs of jeans you’ll need before you die. It is a touching celebration of the ordinary and every day aspects of ageing.
It’s not radical, it’s not shocking, but it is funny. Porter has created a show that will not only make audiences laugh, but will also bring them back next year.
Lucy Porter is at Pleasance Courtyard until 26 August
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