Diane Spencer: All-Pervading Madness

Article by Simon FIelding | 07 Aug 2011

As the overblown pomp of Bonnie Tyler's I Need A Hero fades out, Diane Spencer locks into the energetic groove of this distinctive show with immediacy and panache. Opening with a segment on just how bad last year's show title was (Lost In The Mouth Specific), the introduction enables Spencer to ably manipulate the audience into a false sense of security. Sharp and engaging as these tales of ferrets and Dorset are, they are a subtly deceptive set up for an even more exhilarating shift into no-holds-barred carnal territory.

The second part of this show is a filthy masterclass. A barrage of boobs, bananas, bras, faeces, blood and pole-dancing might be mere adolescent indulgence in the hands of a lesser comic, but Spencer's masterful control of pace ensures that each punchline hits the mark with rhythmic precision. One tale detailing the hazards of watching horror films on dates is particularly well received, with the performer's middle-class English persona always pleasingly at odds with the biologically repulsive subject matter.

Good dirty fun.

Diane Spencer: All-Pervading Madness, Gilded Balloon Teviot, Aug 5-28 (not 16th), 17.45. Tickets from £8.