Review by Steve Bennett

Her and Her is a straightforward double-bill from two newish comics, Bisha K Ali and Stephanie Laing,each working up 20-25 minutes sets.

Ali’s up first, sensibly since she has an affable line in audience engagement to ease everyone into the show - even if she does overuse the technique of prefacing every gag with a leading question to seek affirmation. ‘Who here likes rhinos?!’and the like.

Her rhino gag is actually rather good, despite what seems like a convoluted set-up, one of several nifty punchlines he has at her command. However she finds it difficult to build up momentum; her concern to link everything together proving counter-productive, as the segues slow her down between promising material.

Despite the complaint of one possibly racist friend that he liked her comedy because ‘she doesn’t talk about Asian stuff,’ she has a good angle in being from a devout Muslim background but nonetheless attended Catholic school, and has now turned her back on her faith. This clearly would be a fascinating subject in itself, not given justice by a couple of glib lines here. But she proves she can write a joke, and when she’s experienced enough to sink her teeth properly into this aspect of her background, it should prove a hit.

Laing is more experienced, though on stage she appears the more nervy, with an awkward laugh and body language, and a set that takes some while to settle into a consistent groove.

The twin pillars of her set are that she’s socially inept, with an anxiety that manifests itself in night terrors, while also having decidedly dark sensibilities, making comments about serial killers and the like that can be more disturbing than funny. Oh, and she’s interested in anagrams, but that doesn’t really fit into the persona particularly well at all.

Her clumsiness in romance and sex seems a rich vein, and her pondering whether to take up the offer of a threesome becomes something of a talking point among the audience. However he involuntary noise she confesses to emitting int he throes of passion is a funnier image and a stronger routine.

Although insecurities are the bedrock of her material. a little more confidence in talking about them would reassure the audience, but she, too, has potential as yet untapped.

Review date: 10 Feb 2015
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Leicester Criterion Pub