Let’s face it, who wants to be perfect?

I’ve only just begun my ‘Year of Comedy 2016’ #yoc2016 – My bid to cram as much comedy as possible in to one calendar year. I kicked off on New Year’s Eve with Bears in Space and last night was the turn of funny lady Anne Edmonds.

Anne Edmonds: You know what I’m like

If you like your comedy light and fluffy, then forget it. On the other hand, if dark, slightly unnerving and bloody funny stories are your bag, then you need to check out Anne Edmonds. Who is she you might ask? Come on people; she’s a banjo playing comedian from down under and she’s got a truck load of offbeat characters and stories to share with us Brits.

Currently performing at Soho Theatre on Dean Street, Anne is the sort of honest, dark and funny comedian you’ll be glad you’ve spent the evening with (in a purely platonic way obviously). Sharing tales of the type of people she meets or imagines she knows; gym weirdos, misogynistic husbands, revoltingly perfect women (characters on the whole that are fairly unpleasant), she finds the humour and dials up the volume. Embodying these often grotesque people, she plays out situations that are exaggerated and scarily relatable in equal measure. 

She’s not afraid to be blunt, which to be fair, for a comedian is fairly common – it works, she presents herself as a woman, alone, somewhat messed up, on the outside looking in (or vice-versa, depending on how you see it). Let’s face it, who wants to be perfect? There’s no fun in that. 

Throughout Anne’s set there are some total gems and even as she was performing, I could imagine how well they’d work as part of a sketch show. She seems naturally able to transform herself from one wretched creature to the next. From catholic repression, to extreme therapy via the Australian outback, she rounds off with some banjo playing and quite possibly the most inappropriately hilarious song you’ll hear this year. Someone give this woman a TV show; she could bring some twisted characters to life on screen.                       

Visit AnneEdmonds.com

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