accomplished comedy debut
Jodie Sloan’s debut “Is She Hot?” is named after one of her songs which was sent out as an app-wide notification on TikTok, accompanied by Jodie’s picture. TikTok users were predictably cool and chill in their response to this…
Her show comprises not only the story of this mishap, but also, assisted by PowerPoint, excerpts from her pre-teen diary, and the story of how she came to be on stage today, and peppered references to the TikTok incident. Some of the comedic segues aren’t particularly strong, but are covered off with a pleasing and affable charm. Armed with her ukulele, the songs are a stronger element of the show, and we whip through slightly more risque material about topics including anal, fuckboys and bisexuality, to add some spice to proceedings.
So far, so good – it’s more than a decent show at this stage, well-paced and clips along with lots to like, and the crowd are here for it too, appreciating the pop culture references and callbacks with generous giggles.
Without spoilers, in the final 10 mins or so, there’s a swift sea-change in vibe (as Jodie herself acknowledges). The show springs to greater heights with a blistering final song full of passion and verve, showing she has real capacity for deeper and braver work, and it would be wonderful to see her explore this more, and have greater time in the show for this angle. It almost feels as though her true voice doesn’t appear until this moment, and based on the snippet we see, you can’t help but feel Jodie has the potential, and the talent, to take her show from something that is good fun, if a wee bit safe, to something really showstopping. Definitely a voice to watch for the future!
Jodie Sloan: Is She Hot? runs until 24 August, at 16:35 at Pleasance Courtyard. Tickets can be bought here.