★★★★
From the moment Nina Gilligan opens her mouth, you know you’re in safe hands. Beginning with a routine that involves her admitting to some sudden middle-aged perviness. A nice role-reversal of Gilligan picking on some 20-something men in the audience for a change. And it serves a point, as each story does in Nina’s hour. The eponymous goldfish refers to her voice-over work for ITV Weather, involving her playing a horny goldfish.
She reveals her experiences of having aphasia, a memory-loss condition, with great humour but also great insight. Managing to make her point around the way women are treated by health professionals (shockingly), and how one survives with chronic illness.
There is a huge warning sign before the show starts, explaining that it contains details of ‘sexual harassment’ and to say you can have a refund if you don’t want to stay. As we got the dénouement of the show, this still hadn’t appeared, but when it does, it’s a wrecking-ball of emotion and truth from an older woman who reiterates ‘when you’re my age it isn’t considered assault’. It was humbling and Nina Gilligan has also worked to create networks for others who have been assaulted in the comedy industry, which is incredible important work.
Despite this, Nina is a consummate comedian, her one-liners, observations and general funniness is a joyful constant, even in the bleakest of moments, she handles her audience with ease (even when the odd dickhead says something that kill a comedy show dead) and you’re left richer for the experience.
Nina Gilligan: Goldfish is on at Just the Tonic: Nucleus until the 25th August
