★★★★
Now in its twentieth year, this mixed bill show has had many illustrious names grace their line-ups, including many of our own previous nominees and winners! And it’s no surprise, as Abnormally Funny People is a curated hour with a very high standard.
Opening with a sardonic voice-over aimed at teasing the non-disabled audience members, we segued into some excellent MC’ing by Ria Lina. It’s great to see such intersectionality on stage, it felt like a Venn diagram for our communities. I never knew Lina was a fellow autistic, something she riffs on well. Invisible disabilities are something that still needs a lot of unpacking, and stand-up can be a great educator.
Amazing to see Laurence Clark return to stand-up after several years away. His take down of Daniel Radcliffe’s performance as a character with cerebral palsy was inspired. My top highlight was his satirical sketch on how people will donate money to someone with a bucket if they’re disabled – despite it having the most outrageous things printed on it!!
Will Robbins observations on Somerset weirdos was a lot of fun. He totally charmed the audience, the vibe in the room was almost conversational, everyone felt so at ease. That feeling only grew with Shaparak Khorsandi, who made sure the toddler in the audience was catered for with a rendition ‘if you’re happy and you know it…’. Khorsandi’s whirlwind of words exemplified ADHD with authentic power.
We closed with a video montage song, Oasis lovingly butchered by past performers; fitting as the whole thing felt like a family – but a nice one, one you actually want to spend time with.
Abnormally Funny People is on at Beside at The Pleasance Courtyard till the 25th August
