Jenny Eclair (or as she calls herself, the ‘walking bag of cellulite’) is a barrel of laughs! Despite the insistence on the fact that she’s getting too old to do stand-up, her energetic and even acrobatic performance proves that she is anything but past it: she does a cartwheel on stage for goodness sake!
Eclair hardly touches her flowery armchair that is placed in the middle of the stage, she is too busy bounding around and imitating a pony (because one is never too old to imitate a pony). Her fast-paced and lively performance talks of growing old disgracefully. ‘Don’t let the poster fool you!’ she cries, ‘it’s airbrushed to hell’. With her self-deprecating humour, Eclair is certainly not afraid to point out her own embarrassing attributes of growing old – perhaps the information about her elongated nipple is a step too far. From having one glass of Pino Grigio too many, to a rather inventive way of taking on the local ‘youths’, Eclair talks about the hilarious problems the over 50s face; who knew going to the doctors could be so much fun?
Her wicked sense of humour catered to the typically mature audience. Gags about farting, drooping boobs and falling out of bras had the crowd in stitches. However, Eclair’s set seemed to lack in originality; Fifty Shades of Grey jokes seem a bit outdated and the constant jibes about the inadequacies of men wear a bit thin. Her observations about everyday life, although relatable to all, seems to be exactly that: everyday. Nonetheless, Eclair is worldly, quick witted and thoroughly engaging, and it would only take an ounce more of creativity to elevate her to the level of star-performer that she so deserves.
If jokes about farts and the inconveniences of aging is your thing, then this grumpy old woman will have you roaring with laughter. Her energetic, vigorous and witty performance is highly entertaining, well worth going to see.
