Sarah Roberts is determined to unapologetically be her (hot, talented and baffling) self
Sarah Roberts is hot and talented. Those are the two takeaways she sets out at the start of Silkworm, her now-touring 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut, but this comedian’s story is far more compelling.
Over the course of the hour, we’re taken through key elements of Sarah’s life, peppered with pop culture deep cuts, unapologetically directed at the chronically online (and I’m here for this, screaming crying throwing up) and unabashedly open with her deepest secrets. We seesaw between topics as varied as S Club Juniors, a baffling accolade from an interaction from Paul Mescal, facial surgery, volcanoes, girls schools, anxiety, Henry VIII, Candy Crush, “concerned” maturity, troubled teens from 00s dramas, boys on the 214 bus, self-awareness and family ancestry. There are some well-timed PowerPoint slides, used sparingly but to good effect to unpin some of the key cultural touchstones. This balances well with evident self-awareness and her razor-sharp observations about her own experiences.
This is Sarah’s story, and she’ll share what she wants to share, regardless of what the audience response might be to certain stories, which makes it all the more funnier. Her frank and open approach is commendable, and shines with authenticity. This is less ‘new best friend you’ve met in the club toilets’ and instead is something more real, like your actual BFF admitting her darkest secrets whilst out at brunch, adding a layer of charm and elevating it beyond just shared experiences.
There was more crowd interaction than I expected, and the rapport built nicely on repeated returns. Tonight’s audience weren’t always the warmest, and some lines received fewer laughs than I felt they warranted. To Sarah’s credit, she acknowledged this and persisted, they were won over as the show progressed.
The Monkey Barrel venue was on typical good form. There was a fair amount of plosive mic noises at the start of the show, but these improved as it went on, and the interactive PowerPoint elements went well. A slightly laggy video at the end of show dampened the impact a little, but still produced a great effect.
As we reached the climax of the show, there are a couple of revelations that acted as both a fitting conclusion, and an insight of what might come from her in future shows. This section had a lovely vibrancy to it, and if she chooses to mine this rich seam or not, her subsequent shows will be ones worth watching out for. Regardless of the subject matter, it seems that Sarah Roberts is determined to unapologetically be her (hot, talented and baffling) self, in any room, and her career will be one to watch with interest.