I believe this is my first show concerning motherhood in which the comedian actually is a mother. Jen Brister and her partner have twin boys who are four. Being a lesbian cis-woman and mother to twin boys who are white, (the jury’s out on their sexuality and, for that matter, cis-status) has got Brister thinking about privilege.
What is privilege, who has it and what does it mean? Brister performs a blistering takedown of a certain prominent Twitter personality and their peculiar take on privilege which, for me, was a highlight of the show.
Brister also performs what she calls a privilege audit on her twin boys. They attend a bilingual nursery, they live in a house with a garden and eat intact biscuits. So, how does one go about educating these boys to become well-rounded members of society when they are growing up pretty much at the top and in an environment worlds apart from the one Gen X and elder millennial parents grew up in.
No privilege stone is left unturned and Brister audits her own privilege, including one very few people talk about; pretty privilege. Brister doesn’t call it that herself, I’m calling it that because it is what it was called in the dying days of the Riot Grrrl movement when discussing Kathleen Hanna. It’s an embarrassing one to bring up for various and peculiar ‘polite society’ reasons, but Brister gets round it by reading out some oh-so-flattering YouTube comments on her Live at the Apollo clip.
The show provides much food for thought and is wise as it is funny. Which is very.
★★★★
Jen Brister: Under Privilege is at Monkey Barrel, Barrel 3 at 19:45 until 25th August. For tickets and more information click here!
Funny Women are at the Edinburgh Fringe with five shows, from 19th – 23rd August, a Funny Women Awards 2019 semi-final, a Stand Up to Stand Out workshop and a Meet Up. Come find us!
There’s still time to nominate a women-led show for the 2019 Funny Women Awards’ Best Show Category! The show with the most nominations will be picked! Nominate a show you have seen or your own show by 31st August here!
