Watching Scotland’s mistress of mirth, Janey Godley is like being repeatedly pummelled by a battered Mars Bar, whilst being simultaneously tickled by a highland cow. This quintessentially Scottish lassie and her talented warm-up act, daughter Ashley Storrie, heartily welcome the audience into their unconventional family life with a friendly “Hiya”, but you dannae wanna mess wi’ them.
Ashley opens with select stories of family life with her mother pre-emptively chuckling at her punch lines. Their rapport is a joy to witness and completing the trio with anecdotes about father/husband, this comedy family will never be without good material. Now there’s a dinner invitation I’d never want to turn down!
Janey is an outstanding stand-up comedian, who has the ability to control the room with one withering glare and bring her anecdotes to life with cleverly crafted words and actions. Her material draws on her travel experiences gigging around the world as she recalls time spent in Amsterdam where she met Prince, an unhappy opening to a gig in LA and holidaying at a hippy colony on Salt Spring Island, Canada. There’s also a lot of material about her husband who has Aspergers, and although he knows he’s being joked about, you can’t help but feel sorry for the guy living with two comedians! Dinnertime must be a riot.
Janey Godley is my first taste of Scottish comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe 2014 and what an introduction. It’s a shame that we don’t see more of her on the London circuit, but she already has her target audience and knows to play to her strengths. Being a true Scot, her language might be a bit abrasive for soft English ears, but she doesn’t need their vote. Proud of her heritage, it is evident that she loves her job and her family, giving a performance that is unpretentious, grounded and very, very funny.
You can catch Janey Godley at Underbelly, Bristo Square. For more information click here!
