Review: Clare Cavanagh’s Literally
Posted on: Fri 22 Feb 2019
Clare Cavanagh believes that women can change the world, and in her lock-in show Literally, she showcases the best of the power of women through a series of sketches, built upon characters all played by herself. A solo sketch comedy show is a hard balance – you have to pull the audience in and keep them entertained all on your own, and the energy of a sketch show is almost entirely different to a stand up show.
Clare is really good at what she does: she has the charisma to pull off a solo sketch show, and if you think this kind of show is for you, it probably is. Some sketches are funnier than others – that’s just the nature of sketch – and some landed really well. One sketch in particular actually had the audience sympathetic with one of the characters: instead of simply pulling laughs, Clare was pulling cheers. But other sketches just needed a little more work. I wanted Clare to go that little bit further, that little bit more absurd, that little bit more extreme. One grandma character was a fantastic concept, but just felt like it needed that extra step.
There was a lot of strong comedy, and Clare is a wonderful performer. If you haven’t seen Clare perform, I urge you to see her. If you saw her show last year then there might not be as much revolutionary comedy to leave you fully satisfied.
By Mark Tripodi
