Lou Sanders @ Monkey Barrel

In her latest hour Say Hello to Your New Step-Mummy, Sanders chronicles her struggles with dating, a man ban and having daddy (and step-daddy) issues. Spurred on by her spiritual healer Jill-from-the-Pyrenees, Sanders unpicks her issues with men and her own questionable behaviour. Sneakily spying on a Reddit thread about how annoying people found her on Taskmaster, Sanders pokes fun at how her attention-seeking developed at an early age and was perhaps the cause of her sexual escapades.

However, Sanders is at her best outside of the confines of narrative stand-up. Casually dipping in and out of banter with her game audience, she struts with bravado as she proclaims she’ll be a bereaved teenager’s new Dad (funnier than it sounds). The section where she reclaims some popular phrases is really tight too, as is the revelation that her Step-Dad considered her loathsome. Despite this, the thread of the hour feels meandering at times and without closure. It’d be interesting to see how thoroughly Sanders could explore the relationships with the men in her life; at the minute it only scratches the surface, and the itch runs much deeper. 

Although there’s no denying the electricity of Sanders’ stage presence, this enjoyable hour never feels unmissable.

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Lou Sanders: Say Hello to Your New Step-Mummy, Monkey Barrel Comedy (Monkey Barrel 3), until 25 Aug, 3.15pm, £8/PWYW. Extra Shows: 18 Aug, 6.15pm, Monkey Barrel 3; 16 and 17 Aug, 10.30pm, Monkey Barrel 4