Comedy review: Maisie Adam: Vague, Gilded Balloon Teviot
There's no denying that Maisie Adam is phenomenal, delivering the accomplished Vague a mere year after winning the So You Think You're Funny new act contest. Stand-up has become her main priority she claims, and you believe her, so natural is her stage presence and the command she radiates from it.
Maisie Adam: Vague, Gilded Balloon Teviot (Venue 14) ***
Raised in rural Yorkshire but now residing in Brighton, her observations on the North-South divide are sharp and persuasive, while her experience as a taller-than-average woman give her further opportunity to mine a ready, self-deprecating wit.
Her unique selling point however, is the epilepsy which began in her childhood, specifically juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, a relatively low-level condition that she wore as a badge of honour initially, milking it for special treatment and some entertaining memories of exams.
As she got older though, the attacks grew more serious. But as a committed, hard-partying “slave to the sesh”, she kept this from her parents, fearing missing out on normal teenage kicks.
Affording jeopardy and a compelling through-line to her tale, it’s possibly strung slightly too thinly to sustain an entire show. Still, she surrounds it with more relatable but original thoughts on adolescence, including a memorable physical display of Millennial computer game-inspired dancing.
• Until 27 August, 4:30pm