“Sophie is a sparkling comedian and voice, and truly one of the best comedians around at the moment”
BY IONE GILDROY, IMAGE BY SARAH HARRY-ISAACS
As Sophie Duker bursts onto the stage and out into the crowd, she makes an already energetic crowd even more excited. Sometimes seeing a comedian perform onstage when you’re so used to seeing them on TV can be disappointing, but Sophie’s immediate stage presence told me straight away that I was in for an enjoyable and insightful hour.
It’s an hour that explores quite a range of themes, touching on sexuality, daddy issues, the cost of living crisis and hot girl energy in a way that manages to be insightful and still talk about things in some depth.
The thread running through all of this is the sort of delusion, or “delulu”, that surrounds Sophie’s life. Whether it’s her mum’s habit of collecting something strange (which I don’t want to spoil!) or her dad’s texts to her at 2am, Sophie classifies it all as delulu. But she has her own delulu moments too, and she willingly shares them.
The show has a specific focus on Sophie’s relationship with her dad, who we get to see represented in the room in a way that I won’t share but that I really enjoyed. And if you’ve ever considered what joint therapy with your dad might be like, Sophie spills all the ins and outs.
But Daddy I Love Her has a good mix of everything – great storytelling, snappy punchlines, singing, and some good messages. It’s a show that manages to be funny and meaningful, sexy but not take itself too seriously. Sophie is a sparkling comedian and voice, and truly one of the best comedians around at the moment. A must-see.
Sophie Duker: But Daddy I Love Her is at Pleasance Courtyard until 25 August at 7pm.
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