As a member of the audience, witnessing Lucy Porter walk
onto the stage can be a disorientating experience. At only around 14 inches
tall (estimated) one can be confused into thinking that the effect is caused by
distance and perspective, and that you are viewing a comedian from a great
distance. I'm sure many audience members have previously clambered forward
over the heads of the people in the rows infront of them in an attempt to get
closer to the stage, convinced that it is further away than it was 5 minutes
before (possibly due to tectonic plate movement).
However, we don't feel our comments above are cruel or
disrespectful to short people (in the same way that poking midgets with a pointy
stick might be), as Lucy frequently makes fun of her height in her
material. A trend that is shared by her fellow comedians, as on this
occasion the shows compere, Boothby Graffoe, assisted her just before her set by
adjusting the microphone stand to it's full height of 10 feet above the
ground.
The tone of voice with which Lucy delivers her excellent witicisms
and observations is also a great asset to her. Her material is delivered
in such a neat and 'cute' way, that the audience are on her side from the first
joke, and leaves you with a desire to pick her up and carry her around in your
pocket*.
Her set shares some of the traditions of female standup set down
by comedians such as Victoria Wood and Jo Brand, in that many of the jokes are
hilarious observations from a womans point of view, which the women in the
audience tend to relate to imediately, and us men in the audience find equally
funny by convincing ourselves temporarily that we actually do have a reasonable
understanding of the female
Emotions/Anatomy/Interests/Products-with-wings. Lucy manages to pull all
this off, without resorting to the now somewhat clichéd female stand-up
stereotypes of "Aren't men all bastards", or running 20 minutes on sanitory
towels.
Lucy Porter can be seen (possibly with the aid of some kind of
magnifying device) at the Brighton Comedy Festival in October.
* Shirt Pocket, not Trouser Pocket. That
would cross a boundary.
