Enlightenment is an unusual concept. What is it? How does one attain it? Is such a thing as enlightenment even possible? An hour in the company of Abigoliah Schamaun is unlikely to aid you in reaching the serenity of the gurus but you’ll definitely leave feeling better about the universe.
Confident, assured and brilliantly funny with a knack for a turn of phrase that turns the simplest comment into a solid laugh.
Schamaun greets the audience as we arrive before heading to the side of the stage for her introduction. It’s an upbeat start with some unexpected aerobic workout for us all to join in with. She gets the blood pumping and establishes straight away that this is no ordinary comedy show. Her style is somewhere between straight stand-up and one-woman show; she’s confident in her ability as a performer to be able to take the stories to dark and sometimes poignant places before dropping a laugh-line that instantly lifts us back up.
In this hour of comedy storytelling, Schamaun covers a huge number of subjects from ultimate Frisbee with Mormons to her love of cheese via Immanuel Kant, Ivanka Trump, and her undying love for musicals all whilst telling the tale of her ability to accidentally join cults. The biographical elements that are a staple of her comedy are beautifully intertwined with the solid gags. In each of her regular interactions with audience members, they are happy to answer her questions and chat about their own opinions and experiences creating a sharing atmosphere amongst everyone in the room. I should also mention that Namaste, Bitches has probably the most showbiz ending to a stand-up set I’ve yet seen.
Schamaun has a reputation as a fearless comedian with no subject out of bounds but this show is less in your face than previous offerings. It’s a sign of how much she has developed as a comedian and as a performer; she’s confident, assured and brilliantly funny with a knack for a turn of phrase that turns the simplest comment into a solid laugh.
