Priya Hall @ Monkey Barrel
Grandmother's Daughter is a warm, inviting hour from Welsh debutant Priya Hall
Before we start, there’s some things you need to know about Priya Hall: she’s Welsh, Brown, has a girlfriend, and her nan is a rockstar. Not in a David Bowie way, mind. Just a tiny old woman from The Valleys who loves sticking it to the man and having Hall as her granddaughter.
Hall, in fact, comes from a long line of brilliant women actually; when her mother moved to the UK as a child, then back to India, she refused to speak for seven months until her parents agreed to move back to the land of baked beans and rain. Hall, then, is no stranger to defying expectations – Grandmother’s Daughter sees her embarking on an IVF journey with her tiny Welsh girlfriend.
Hall’s presence is a commanding, yet friendly, one. There’s an air of Disney princess about her too (despite her once admitting she landed a role in a musical without any singing talent at all). Thanks to her sweet demeanour, her jokes about Sperm Donor Tinder and her pal’s masturbation take you aback, eliciting filthy giggles from the room. She’s a great storyteller: anecdotes about her girlfriend using her Nan’s lawnmower and her favourite toddler food are top rate. Hall has a habit of gushing her stories from behind a hand because they’re so gleefully embarrassing.
Grandmother’s Daughter is a delightful, upbeat hour of gorgeous storytelling, tackling a tricky subject. It’s a joy to be in Hall’s company and is sure to light up future Fringes with her joke-heavy positivity.
Priya Hall: Grandmother's Daughter, Monkey Barrel (MB2), until 27 Aug, 4.20pm, £7-£8/PWYW