The Cambridge Geek

Susan Calman Makes Me Happy

Because everything is basically awful at the minute, Susan Calman has decided that we need something to cheer us up.

Somewhat egotistically, she's decided that it should be her.

Luckily, she's right.

Like the previous series "Keep Calman Carry On", in which Calman discussed things that relaxed her friends (gardening, cricket, birdwatching), this show is themed around things that make her happy. Specifically: family; television; food; and animals.

As always, the best adjective to describe Calman is "cheery". She takes the show at a breakneck pace, never giving it time to wallow in a saccharine sweetness. The presence of her wife provides a nice bit of back and forth above and beyond the usual standup style of this sort of show. It's particularly nice to see a vein of sense oppose Calman's madness, in the form of her wife, who appears to be remarkably normal. (Except when it comes to food and drink.)

You do have to wonder where they got the mad people in the audience though. Like a lot of stand-up, Calman pops into the audience, with fairly reasonable questions, such as "what's your favourite food" or "what nice things do you do for your family at Christmas?" Less reasonable is the immediate civil war that arises between the vegemite and marmite clans, and the unexpected theft of clothes.

Obviously it tends towards the saccharine on occasion, and each show has something of a final moralistic summing up that feels a little out of place around the comedy, but grit your teeth and it'll be over soon.

Otherwise though, Calman delivers a solid half hour of comedy, so go listen to it.

Score:
Score 4

Tagged: Radio Comedy Two hander Stand-up Autobiographical