On Sunday I was in the audience of Luisa Omielan's preview show 'Am I Right Ladies' at the Caroline of Brunswick for the Brighton Fringe.
It's always a bit of a risk going to see a preview show. A necessary risk. Sometimes it's like seeing the sausage being made and you cannot imagine how the comedian is going to make a show out of this hotch potch of ideas. Sometimes though you realise you've been lucky enough to see something brilliant just as it comes to fruition. This is not just a stand up show Luisa Omielan is creating in 'Am I Right Ladies?' This is a manifesto.
In her last show Luisa wondered 'What Would Beyonce do?' telling us how she applied Beyonce's oeuvre to her own life. It involved a lot of Beyonce quotes, Beyonce tracks and big earrings. This time the big earrings are back but Luisa's soundtrack is more varied and even funnier.
One thing that makes Luisa stand out from the stand up crowd is that she really commits, even if the men in her life won't. You might not think you can squeeze much feminism from an act that involves the music from 'Dirty Dancing', stripping and the word "bitches" but you can and Germaine Greer and Caitlin Moran had better watch out and bow down.
In 'Am I Right Ladies?' Luisa addresses the problem society has with women who express themselves and call bad behaviour out, dismissing them with the term "crazy bitches".
Luisa also discusses the different audience reception she receives from her fellow comedians who are male. While they get groupies she gets people struggling with this new concept that women can be funny.
In this new show Luisa also returns to the subject of clinical depression and anti-depressants. There seems to be no subject from which this woman shies away from and nothing she can't deal with. Even when talking about the most harrowing of topics the audience is in the palm of her hand, enjoying every second.
If you want a night of dancing, music, comedy and spanx I suggest you go and see Luisa Omielan.
You can catch still Luisa's first show 'What Would Beyonce do?', for more information click HERE!
