Preview season is back baby! And what a pair of shows to kick us off with.
Opening our latest batch of previews, we were privileged enough to have the first ever work in progress of Justina Seselskaite’s debut hour, “Settled”. But if you were there, you wouldn’t have guessed it was so early in development. This show is tight, packed full of punchlines, narratively satisfying, and expertly presented.
Retelling the story of Justina’s move to the UK and journey for right to residence here during the aftermath of the Brexit vote, Justina has a compelling personal story intertwined with internet shitposts from 2014-2016, and a very introspective exploration of her life and experiences. As a debut hour, this is all par for the course. But what is less so is how well arranged everything is.
Justina slips her best tried-and-tested routines into the show seamlessly, links everything together with coherent story beats, retelling her own character development. This is combined with more visual and dynamic aspects of the show, and by the time the hour is up you are itching for more.
If this is what the show looks like in its first live draft, I can’t even begin to imagine how great it’ll be a few months down the line when it’s ready for festivals and/or touring. Definitely catch her show if it’s on near you anytime soon. It is a masterclass in how to approach your debut hour, and you’ll have a terrific time watching it.
And to close off our day we had Paul Campbell with “The Lost Tapes of Somerfield”.
Ever since Paul first told me his idea for this show, I think about a year ago, I was so damn hyped to see it. And yet with such high expectations, they were still absolutely shattered. From the moment Paul walks on stage, eulogising his favourite Supermarket Somerfield with a self-aware yet sincere mourning, I was in stitches.
The show takes us through the 5 stages of grief of losing a beloved retail chain, in which he cleverly weaves in his own coming of age story and why this brand became a fixation and place of support for him. He is very aware of how ridiculous this is, but also there is a real heart to the show that makes the emotional beats genuinely hit hard. By the end, even if, like me, you had never been to a Somerfield, you do shed a tear for just how earnestly this tale is told.
Not to undersell the comedic value either. The show is not short of brilliantly weird Paul Campbell punchlines. If you’ve seen him before, you can imagine how perfect a premise this is for him. Really making the most of his awkwardness and anxieties to tell stories where he is fundamentally the butt of the joke but you’re also rooting for him.
Paul is a born jester, and it is a delight watching him explore these more longform ideas on stage. He’s having so much fun up there, too. I don’t want to give away too much of the show, but there are so many memorable set pieces that haven’t left my head since seeing this show on Monday. I am in awe at how well paced and structured the whole show is around these core moments. There is no reason for this show to go as hard as it does narratively and emotionally, but it’s genuinely one of the most compelling stand-up hours I’ve ever seen in my life.
If you’re put off by the premise that it’s going to be a bunch of generational in-jokes that’ll go over your head, then you are mistaken. I went into this show without a clue and I adored it, and I am sure you will as well. A perfect hour from a phenomenally unique comedian, and well worth your time to check out.
We have our next previews on June 3rd from Hannah Platt and Josh Jones, but we have our main live show before that on May 13th featuring Jake Donaldson, Patrick Healy, Ali Panting & More! Book your free tickets for this here while they last: https://www.outsavvy.com/organiser/blizzard-comedy
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