Well this show certainly delivered which such a forthright title!
Bringing up the Friday post work slot, I find myself sitting in the Junkyard Dogs venue out of its usual location on Edward Street and moved into a temporary festival home of the Brighthelm Centre, Brighton. I’m enthusiastic about seeing this award winning comedian Kate Smurthwaite who I’m also new to but who comes highly recommended from her five-star reviews garnered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
This performance ( and two subsequent weekend dates) brings Kate Smurthwaite’s newest one-woman show (and 13th so a seasoned comedian) Clit Stirrer which she is currently touring nationwide in a no holds barred and as she styles herself “provocative and controversial” event.
Ms Smurthwaite starts by declaring herself a “vagilante” whilst unpicking real time internet abuse at the start of her show with a kind online punter offering to “play football with my head”, although upon report this, the police said “It’s not a justifiable death threat as he’d need nine males to play the game with it”.
The feminist performer explores some really quite challenging subjects, the perils and pitfalls of touring, but with the added unpleasantness of gigging solo as a female comedian and being stalked noting wryly that “the only difference between a victim and a survivor is that a survivor’s not dead yet”.
Sharing past experiences of life on the comedy circuit intertwined with comedy one liners, she unpicks what she terms the “evil/idiocy fulcrum” offering an angry yet reasoned take on abuse and murder of women as well as showcasing some of the television shows which she’s guested on over the past ten years which focus on tackling violence, religion, and the right to wear pyjamas in Tesco.
In addition to her rousing line in feminist comedy, Kate’s campaigning work includes a role as spokesperson for Abortion Rights UK and working with female asylum seekers through Women For Refugee Women and Women Asylum Seekers Together so she certainly knows whereof she speaks.
This was a rousing comedic polemic and I for one was enthusiastic about a night in her company. She’s off to Edinburgh Festival now, so keep an eye out for her!
