Waiting for Superwoman sounds like a terrible hospital waiting room: one of thousands across the land, clinical and full of dread. So, why is this in a review, you may be thinking? You’re here to know what Samy was like. Well, I can tell you it was like waiting for Superwoman. I felt like Clark Kent finding his incredible superhero cousin, and let me tell you, Samy was well worth the wait.
Mild-mannered Samy is a barrister (I can hear the booing already!), but in person, she’s a bit of a Kara Danvers who wouldn’t say boo to a goose. But hand Samy a mic and Superwoman arrives. Make no mistake, she is delightfully foul-mouthed, but never too much, in a totally brilliant, unique show. It fuses the everyday stress of a barrister with the totally fun world of stand-up. Plus, there are loads of well-placed jokes about being a carer for a mother with dementia, being out and gay, fish-and-chip paper, and lesbian love.
Samy’s stage for the afternoon was the Klondyke bar in Burnage. It is a great space, and the function room itself has a brilliant, retro feel that feels very well-placed in the 1970s, complete with its classic suspended stage lights and a proper wooden dance floor. From what I could see and smell, they do a brilliant Sunday roast. In fact, people were actually tucking into their roasts right there by the dance floor while watching the performance. The person I was sat next to said they were shocked that someone walking in with hot food during the set didn’t completely throw Samy off, but she handled it like a total pro on that raised stage.
Samy absolutely lit the room up. The energy changed right from the moment hearing protection was handed out from a vagina cushion for the proper blue sections of the show.
Samy is truly a person of two halves. Born to a British mother and a Pakistani father, this heritage beautifully plays out across the performance. In the first section, she takes us through her lightly awkward upbringing in a mixed Catholic-Islamic household, the divorce of her parents, and her own journey of coming out.
The second half explodes with her alter ego, the stunning dad-dancer Shakshuka. An imagined Pakistani woman living somewhere in the UK, she owns a coffee shop and has a love for a glass, oh, sorry, a bottle of wine hidden from a very well-endowed husband (who is rubbish in bed). It was a magical, side-splitting bit of dancing and DJing, and what she can do with a belly dance? Well, you just need to see Samy and join the conga.
The show is perfect for adult audiences who aren’t scared of a little bit of blue, and older folks who love a bit of crazy humour. I have to say, I had fun, and it’s a show you can watch time and time again. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a new theatre show with a modest budget like many Greater Manchester Fringe shows, but where the budget is low, Samy makes up for it with brilliant comic timing and some serious dance moves.
Keep your eyes out for more shows with Samy. Follow her on Instagram at @samyrshow to catch her next performance!
Review by
James
For Canal Street Media