Comments on: What a Girl Wants http://www.londontheatreblog.co.uk/what-a-girl-wants/ Group authored publication covering theatre and the performing arts in London and beyond Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:24:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: hen night limo edinburgh http://www.londontheatreblog.co.uk/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-7523 hen night limo edinburgh Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:01:17 +0000 http://londontheatreblog.co.uk/index.php/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-7523 <strong>hen night limo edinburgh...</strong> For a great hen night in edinburgh why not hire a stretched limo... hen night limo edinburgh…

For a great hen night in edinburgh why not hire a stretched limo…

]]> By: Angela http://www.londontheatreblog.co.uk/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-5548 Angela Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:41:34 +0000 http://londontheatreblog.co.uk/index.php/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-5548 Hey Andrea, how about something about growing up with mad parents in a British forces boys bording school, left to your own devices while they all partied like good un's?? xx Hey Andrea, how about something about growing up with mad parents in a British forces boys bording school, left to your own devices while they all partied like good un’s?? xx

]]> By: Andrea http://www.londontheatreblog.co.uk/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-23 Andrea Mon, 14 Jan 2008 19:50:15 +0000 http://londontheatreblog.co.uk/index.php/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-23 Oh..I typed in the wrong address for our myspace...NO idea who she is above HA!! Oh..I typed in the wrong address for our myspace…NO idea who she is above HA!!

]]> By: Andrea http://www.londontheatreblog.co.uk/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-22 Andrea Mon, 14 Jan 2008 19:48:29 +0000 http://londontheatreblog.co.uk/index.php/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-22 Thanks for the invitation Sue, I shall definately come and check out the comedy night you're referring to and look forward to it. xx Thanks for the invitation Sue, I shall definately come and check out the comedy night you’re referring to and look forward to it. xx

]]> By: Sue http://www.londontheatreblog.co.uk/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-24 Sue Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:19:53 +0000 http://londontheatreblog.co.uk/index.php/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-24 I agree with "Male friend", female comedians are indeed alive and well. Just look at Sarah Silverman, Josie Long, sarah Kendall, Lucy Porter, Issy Suttie. They don't do the cliched stuff that you're talking about. I am a character stand up and my set has NOTHING to do with babies boobs or boys at all. If you want to be exposed to good female comics come to a gig I'm organising of female stand ups to raise money for breast cancer care. It's at Comedy at the Kirk on March 12th 2008. The people I've booked are excellent (and include Issy Suttie). There won't be a period joke in sight :) I agree with “Male friend”, female comedians are indeed alive and well. Just look at Sarah Silverman, Josie Long, sarah Kendall, Lucy Porter, Issy Suttie. They don’t do the cliched stuff that you’re talking about. I am a character stand up and my set has NOTHING to do with babies boobs or boys at all.
If you want to be exposed to good female comics come to a gig I’m organising of female stand ups to raise money for breast cancer care. It’s at Comedy at the Kirk on March 12th 2008. The people I’ve booked are excellent (and include Issy Suttie). There won’t be a period joke in sight :)

]]> By: Male Friend http://www.londontheatreblog.co.uk/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-21 Male Friend Mon, 06 Aug 2007 20:58:31 +0000 http://londontheatreblog.co.uk/index.php/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-21 Hi, Well I'm up at Edinburgh at the moment and I can tell you that female comedians are alive and well. Issy Suttie is a brilliant stand up and musician who has a genuine warmth and audiences love her, Jo Neary is a genius, she has an incredible range of characters and people are lapping it up. Then there's Watson and Oliver, Triplicate, Lucy Porter, Abigail Burdess, Shappi Khorsandi, Shazia Mirza. These are funny ladies with original ideas. The london comedy scene, is a mixed bag, and because there are so many oppurtunities to perform and so many clubs, almost anyone can get up and have a go. This means that the quality of performance can quite often be ropey. However those that really want to do it, who stick at it, will and do become good at what they do. I think that there are less female comedians than men, so they probably get scrutinised more, however if you take a look at some of the male acts at these venues, I think you'll agree that a quite substantial percentage of them haven't quite 'got it'. They muck about with weak ideas that don't really go anywhere, and have a deluded beleif that they are funny. But it's those performers who really want to do it that will stick it out and realise that you have to develop original ideas and practice them relentlessly to make them work, (even then it sometimes doesn't work). Comedy is a tough business and it's a never ending process, you're constantly learning how to be funny, how to use ideas, how to present characters, and at some point you might just realise that you can't do it. The audience will soon let you know if you're funny or not, and unless you are completely nuts, you'll find out if you can do it or not fairly quickly. What has to be born in mind, is that most of the time when you are going to see comedy in pub venues or small clubs, you are watching public rehearsals, people trying out material to see if it's a any good. You never really get to see a finished product unless you come to Edinburgh or go to see someone performing their show at The Soho Theatre or somewhere similar. I think shows presented at these types of venues can be judged, but otherwise, I think it's counterproductive to judge people who are trying to get up there and find out if they're funny or not. I beleive if you are judgemental of others, then you think others will be judgemental of you, and this will lead to fear, and therefore lack of creativity and the inability to get started. Me. Hi,
Well I’m up at Edinburgh at the moment and I can tell you that female comedians are alive and well. Issy Suttie is a brilliant stand up and musician who has a genuine warmth and audiences love her, Jo Neary is a genius, she has an incredible range of characters and people are lapping it up. Then there’s Watson and Oliver, Triplicate, Lucy Porter, Abigail Burdess, Shappi Khorsandi, Shazia Mirza. These are funny ladies with original ideas. The london comedy scene, is a mixed bag, and because there are so many oppurtunities to perform and so many clubs, almost anyone can get up and have a go. This means that the quality of performance can quite often be ropey. However those that really want to do it, who stick at it, will and do become good at what they do. I think that there are less female comedians than men, so they probably get scrutinised more, however if you take a look at some of the male acts at these venues, I think you’ll agree that a quite substantial percentage of them haven’t quite ‘got it’. They muck about with weak ideas that don’t really go anywhere, and have a deluded beleif that they are funny. But it’s those performers who really want to do it that will stick it out and realise that you have to develop original ideas and practice them relentlessly to make them work, (even then it sometimes doesn’t work). Comedy is a tough business and it’s a never ending process, you’re constantly learning how to be funny, how to use ideas, how to present characters, and at some point you might just realise that you can’t do it. The audience will soon let you know if you’re funny or not, and unless you are completely nuts, you’ll find out if you can do it or not fairly quickly.
What has to be born in mind, is that most of the time when you are going to see comedy in pub venues or small clubs, you are watching public rehearsals, people trying out material to see if it’s a any good. You never really get to see a finished product unless you come to Edinburgh or go to see someone performing their show at The Soho Theatre or somewhere similar. I think shows presented at these types of venues can be judged, but otherwise, I think it’s counterproductive to judge people who are trying to get up there and find out if they’re funny or not. I beleive if you are judgemental of others, then you think others will be judgemental of you, and this will lead to fear, and therefore lack of creativity and the inability to get started.
Me.

]]> By: Kath http://www.londontheatreblog.co.uk/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-17 Kath Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:59:08 +0000 http://londontheatreblog.co.uk/index.php/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-17 Hi Rea, I totally know where you're coming from having recently discovered a new comedy night here in Hong Kong, which we eagerly trotted along to, expecting (unsurprisingly) a good laugh, considering the dearth of stand-up comedy opportunities in this part of the world. However, amongst a rather motley bunch of 'comedians', one female who shall remain nameless (in fact she was instantly forgettable so I can't name her anyway), provided the most cringeworthy 15 mins of the whole evening. Yes, plenty of jokes about periods, men, etc. etc. It was painful to watch. However, the one redeeming act of the evening was also in fact female- a 17 year old (or thereabouts), whose name I'm also ashamed to say I cannot remember who was bravely making her first foray into stand-up and actually did make us laugh with her tales of being a mixed-race teen in Hong Kong and the UK. So, yes, there is other material available to women comedians if they are prepared to think a bit harder and I know you are one of those who's willing to be different, so stick with it as you're naturally funny and entertaining. I think a large part of comedy does lie in the delivery as well as having good material of course, and you've got it in spades.... Hi Rea,
I totally know where you’re coming from having recently discovered a new comedy night here in Hong Kong, which we eagerly trotted along to, expecting (unsurprisingly) a good laugh, considering the dearth of stand-up comedy opportunities in this part of the world. However, amongst a rather motley bunch of ‘comedians’, one female who shall remain nameless (in fact she was instantly forgettable so I can’t name her anyway), provided the most cringeworthy 15 mins of the whole evening. Yes, plenty of jokes about periods, men, etc. etc. It was painful to watch. However, the one redeeming act of the evening was also in fact female- a 17 year old (or thereabouts), whose name I’m also ashamed to say I cannot remember who was bravely making her first foray into stand-up and actually did make us laugh with her tales of being a mixed-race teen in Hong Kong and the UK. So, yes, there is other material available to women comedians if they are prepared to think a bit harder and I know you are one of those who’s willing to be different, so stick with it as you’re naturally funny and entertaining. I think a large part of comedy does lie in the delivery as well as having good material of course, and you’ve got it in spades….

]]> By: Geraldene http://www.londontheatreblog.co.uk/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-20 Geraldene Tue, 31 Jul 2007 21:40:46 +0000 http://londontheatreblog.co.uk/index.php/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-20 Hi, great piece! Agree with you entirely that most of what female comedians do today is not comedy. Comments about menstruation, saggy/ too small/ too enormous boobs and 'put me down' remarks about face/ figure/ hair etc. are just not funny and do not make me laugh. ( Well maybe the odd snigger of embarassment.) The only people who do laugh at that sort of thing are men. There are two distinct types of laughter that they employ: the first is nervous and slightly uncomfortable, the second (sadly the most often used) is the 'school bully', an unkind and vindictive guffaw. So, why do female comedians do it ? Why go for laughs at their own expense and the expense of womankind? Probably because they are underconfident: afraid that the audience won't laugh at their material. They know that with the 'put me down' stuff they will, at least, get a laugh from the male half of the audience. Since male guffaws are louder than female giggles they will appear to be doing very well. I think comedy should come from wit. You have to be clever to be witty. Sometimesjust the speed of clever repartee can make quite ordinary things funny. Great amusement can be achieved through a 'play on words', and I don't only mean 'double entendre'. ( Think Oscar Wilde and William Shakespeare.) Satire can be funny, to a degree, but it must be done cleverly and sympathetically. I never enjoy slapstick, although I can't say, honestly, that it has never made me laugh. The best comedy, I think, arises out of manipulation of awkward situations and relationships. Trying to think of a female comedian, of the present day, who really makes me laugh is almost impossible. (Although I can think of plenty who don't ! ) I agree with the first person to post that French and Saunders and Ab Fab were terriffic. The closest I come to 'cracking up' or 'laugh 'till I cry' is when listening to Pam Ayres reading some of her own poems. The best laugh I've had in recent years was when I came to Little Venice to see you, Andrea, doing 'Dirty Dancing with Dave', or something like that, ( maybe it was 'Dancing with Dirty Dave' ?)My sides ached so much I could hardly breathe, and that was before the show was even halfway through! You are a very clever, very witty, very confident young woman. Your friend is right : you've got to get out there and GO FOR IT ! Come on, stand up (double entendre ! ) for womankind ! Hi, great piece! Agree with you entirely that most of what female comedians do today is not comedy. Comments about menstruation, saggy/ too small/ too enormous boobs and ‘put me down’ remarks about face/ figure/ hair etc. are just not funny and do not make me laugh. ( Well maybe the odd snigger of embarassment.) The only people who do laugh at that sort of thing are men. There are two distinct types of laughter that they employ: the first is nervous and slightly uncomfortable, the second (sadly the most often used) is the ’school bully’, an unkind and vindictive guffaw. So, why do female comedians do it ? Why go for laughs at their own expense and the expense of womankind? Probably because they are underconfident: afraid that the audience won’t laugh at their material. They know that with the ‘put me down’ stuff they will, at least, get a laugh from the male half of the audience. Since male guffaws are louder than female giggles they will appear to be doing very well.
I think comedy should come from wit. You have to be clever to be witty. Sometimesjust the speed of clever repartee can make quite ordinary things funny. Great amusement can be achieved through a ‘play on words’, and I don’t only mean ‘double entendre’. ( Think Oscar Wilde and William Shakespeare.)
Satire can be funny, to a degree, but it must be done cleverly and sympathetically. I never enjoy slapstick, although I can’t say, honestly, that it has never made me laugh. The best comedy, I think, arises out of manipulation of awkward situations and relationships.
Trying to think of a female comedian, of the present day, who really makes me laugh is almost impossible. (Although I can think of plenty who don’t ! ) I agree with the first person to post that French and Saunders and Ab Fab were terriffic. The closest I come to ‘cracking up’ or ‘laugh ’till I cry’ is when listening to Pam Ayres reading some of her own poems.
The best laugh I’ve had in recent years was when I came to Little Venice to see you, Andrea, doing ‘Dirty Dancing with Dave’, or something like that, ( maybe it was ‘Dancing with Dirty Dave’ ?)My sides ached so much I could hardly breathe, and that was before the show was even halfway through! You are a very clever, very witty, very confident young woman. Your friend is right : you’ve got to get out there and GO FOR IT ! Come on, stand up (double entendre ! ) for womankind !

]]> By: Jayne http://www.londontheatreblog.co.uk/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-19 Jayne Tue, 31 Jul 2007 15:10:05 +0000 http://londontheatreblog.co.uk/index.php/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-19 I must say to the writer: beautifully written! And so poignant. I AM BORED OF COMEDIENNES PAINTING A BLOODY AND TEAR STAINED PICTURE OF WOMANHOOD. Get over it. I await your debut solo performance with eagerness and excitement. I have seen a couple of your shows before at The Hen and Chickens and loved them. I came down with a friend and I can't wait to go again. Interesting piece. Cheers. I must say to the writer: beautifully written! And so poignant. I AM BORED OF COMEDIENNES PAINTING A BLOODY AND TEAR STAINED PICTURE OF WOMANHOOD. Get over it. I await your debut solo performance with eagerness and excitement. I have seen a couple of your shows before at The Hen and Chickens and loved them. I came down with a friend and I can’t wait to go again.
Interesting piece. Cheers.

]]> By: Geraldene http://www.londontheatreblog.co.uk/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-18 Geraldene Mon, 30 Jul 2007 22:48:09 +0000 http://londontheatreblog.co.uk/index.php/what-a-girl-wants/#comment-18 I have just spent an hour writing a long comment for Andrea and when I pressed 'submit' it vanished from the screen. I was told that I had to submit a valid e-mail address. Since my e-mail address is what it is, and I only have one, I am going to try again but I shall not have time to re-type my long comment tonight, that will have to wait. Sorry, Andrea. Best Wishes, Geraldene. I have just spent an hour writing a long comment for Andrea and when I pressed ’submit’ it vanished from the screen. I was told that I had to submit a valid e-mail address. Since my e-mail address is what it is, and I only have one, I am going to try again but I shall not have time to re-type my long comment tonight, that will have to wait. Sorry, Andrea. Best Wishes, Geraldene.

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