It's rare for me to have read the book before seeing the film. It's even rarer to have read the book of a comedy show in advance of the gig. I now wish I hadn't, so the jokes would have been fresher. Having ploughed through the book (part memoir/ part self-help), I suspected this show might not be for me, but I'd already bought the tickets. We still went, as my wife is the perfect demographic for this material. Why shouldn't she have a laugh for a change?
Cally posts amusing reels on social media about funny incidents in her life, usually at the expense of a mansplaining idiot, but occasionally about her perimenopausal symptoms. She also has a lovely dog called Jeff. She's been a corporate high-flyer, a single mum with two kids, and, latterly, a comedian. 'Her' crowd are like-minded women of a similar age, or older, accompanied by their husbands and partners. The audience felt similar to that of a feminist rally, only with fewer placards and more jokes. Or have drinky-poos over lunch with their girlfriends, speaking in loud voices because what they have to say is so important (while overcompensating for their feelings of invisibility).
The show wasn't due to start till 8.30 pm, so we began our evening with dinner at the restaurant attached to the venue. My wife had the macaroni and cheese, and I ordered spare ribs, one of tonight's specials. When it arrived, I did wonder if they couldn't have spared any more (two fatty ribs, neatly posed on top of one another). As portion sizes go, there was more meat on the brownie I had for dessert, and a higher fat content. That said, it was delicious and more filling than expected.
When we've finished dining, the doors to the hall are already open. I get antsy and want to go in. My wife wants to know why we need to rush. We don't want to sit at the front. I remark, "But what if those seats are the only ones left?" I sense her eyes roll as we enter to find less than half the seats taken. We sit in the fourth row.
The stage is adorned with a high table displaying Cally's book, a white grand piano and a lounge chair with a low table, blessed with various books. The background lighting tastefully matches the pink and green of her book cover. The pre-show music includes women-empowering tunes like She's Electric by Oasis, Female of the Species by Space, and What a Feeling by Irene Carr. Cally was once an exec at MTV, so it's apt she also has Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles on her playlist (it was the first video they ever played).
Cally starts the show in a typical MC fashion, getting to know the crowd, establishing who is local and who has travelled from afar. Full-on Fiona in the front row is game for a chat, the older woman revelling in the attention, even when it's not directed at her. Gordon, in the row in front of me, takes one for the men's team, with Cally referring to him whenever her punchline involves a male figure.
So far, so okay.
When she moves onto her material, I get a sense of déjà vu. Most of the references are lifted directly from the text, but she's amiable and amusing and knows how to deliver a line. The darker the joke, the bigger the laugh she gets. The Andrew Mountbatten material didn't go down this well in Windsor, she says.
She opens the second half by murdering Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the piano. Not in a Les Dawson comically awful way, but the number of bad notes would have filled a dossier on mansplaining. She then spends most of the second half sitting down, reciting sections from her "Times-bestselling" book (available from the Waterstones merch stand at the back, signing to follow). She closed with a recital of the complicated Debussy piano piece, Doctor Gradus ad Parnassus, that she originally mastered as an eleven-year-old, but had to relearn over forty years later.
Afterwards, I asked my wife how much she enjoyed the show, as she hadn't read the book. Her response was lukewarm.
I thought the same. It felt like a book tour with jokes and crowd work. Who am I to complain, though? I'm only a man.
Ticket Price (x2 tickets): £42.00 & Booking fees £2.46 = £44.46 from MBC Tours & Specials
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