Susan Calman - Maybe It's Your Fault

Measuring in at 4' 11'' tall, Susan Calman is exactly the same height as Kylie Minogue. This is, by her own admission, as far as the resemblance goes; an ability to stand up, perfectly straight, in the back of a black cab is the sole advantage she claims to take from being so tiny. However, it also lends a likable air of vulnerability to a comedian who spends much being largely disparaging of friends' love lives and tells of selfishness and greed within her own relationships.

Calman, a Glaswegian former lawyer with a case-history that includes working on Death Row, is something of a misanthrope. She has what may be considered a very "realistic" outlook on love and her frequently mocking—though rarely acerbic—observations on relationships form the backbone of her set. In a long-term relationship herself, Calman is at her best when analyzing the more mundane aspects of her love-life. Segments about petty arguments over food—in particular her own love of tinned “chicken in a white sauce" that is perennially in conflict with her partner's desire to see her eat more healthily—and on general infringements to her personal freedom are universally relatable.

Despite her set being largely about the idiosyncrasies of relationships, Calman bizarrely seems to feel her show is, in fact, about "responsibility." Problematically, though, this amounts to little more than explaining the legal principal of "culpable negligence" at the beginning of the show and adding a joke about her care-free friends at its conclusion. This serves only to jolt her audience out of her captivating spell and into a state of near-confusion. Letting her material flow naturally, instead of tacking on an unrelated motif, would certainly do much to elevate this set.