A well-crafted, self-assured set about overcoming trolls
Perhaps best known as Ed Gamble’s regular tour support, Chloe Petts has rightly earned her own fanbase with laddish routines about football and butch lesbianism. Indeed, a couple on the front row this evening share that they bought their tickets during Gamble’s interval. With the freedom of her own show, Petts delivers a confident, sculpted routine that marks her out as a comic to watch. A unique voice – at once boisterous and insightful – mixes astute observation with wonderful silliness, in a show discussing identity, self-confidence and internet trolling.
It’s these trolls that form the backbone of How You See Me, How You Don’t’, as what should have been a dream job for football-fan Petts – her own weekly show on Sky Sports News – sparks misogynistic abuse from a certain corner of the internet. They object to her masculine discussion points and androgynous look, as Petts quips “I don’t think they’d ever seen one of me before”. Each subsequent show sparks fresh attacks, which are used to weave together anecdotes about her wider life and the impact of trolling in a coherent and purposeful performance.
Distinct from other trolling narratives, Petts’ self-confidence lends an upbeat feel to her material: she feels sorry for her attackers, providing a fresh perspective on an all-too-common experience. It’s this boldness which makes How You See Me… stand out, and whilst there are some moments of vulnerability it’s fundamentally a show about believing in yourself and not caring about what a bunch of strangers on the internet think. This resilience is a double-edged sword: while it provides the show with a distinctive voice, it also robs the conclusion of some emotional impact.
The rich variety of material deserves praise. Petts begins joking that she wants to write comedy literally everyone in the world enjoys, and then makes a good go of it. Just in the introduction, clever observations are peppered in amongst surrealist humour, by way of a few dark jokes, all of which land with the audience. A few segments feel overstretched – most notably an extended riff imagining Queer Eye run by straight men, which struggles to sustain enough laughs to justify its length – but generally this comedic dexterity persists throughout the show.
Petts’ infectious confidence keeps the audience on-board. A particularly clever piece early on uses fairytale descriptions to skewer her real-life internet trolls, and shortly after Petts tries to facilitate a 3-way Q&A between audience members sat on opposite sides of the stage (“this is the least professional I’ve ever been”). These unplanned interactions are particularly endearing, although when Petts announces the rest of the show has become abridged as a result the audience isn’t quite sure how to react – should we laugh less?
Soho Downstairs is the ideal venue for How You See Me…, complementing the show’s intimate vibe. It has a no-frills charm that matches Petts’ grounded, authentic humor, as well as feeling like engaging with something quite exciting.
Emerging from the basement, it’s clear to the audience Petts is ready to break into the mainstream. Her sharp wit, assured delivery, and refreshing perspective make How You See Me, How You Don’t an exciting presentation of her talent. This is a show offering plenty of heart, and a rich collection of laughs.
How You See Me, How You Don’t plays at the Soho Theatre until 25th January, before touring the UK and Australia. Tickets can be purchased here.