Sally-Anne Hayward delivers a highly personal, heart-warming show as she dives us head first into some of the more uncomfortable areas of her life. In a genuinely funny set that really pulls at the heartstrings, Hayward plays her audience with a good balance of the sombre, the strange and the hilarious.
Though the set is not ground breaking, Hayward is entertaining and paces through diverse material, from her desire to sometimes sit behind the sofa with her cat at her own parties until her guests have gone, to the more sombre subject of wanting a baby. At 42, Hayward is ready. With a great new boyfriend and after a series of disasters, one can only hope she will get what she wants. She comes across as a very likeable individual, which in a job popularly fuelled by sarcasm, cynicism and mocking normality, is no easy feat.
When talking with her audience, Hayward also appears to take interest in their stories; propensing conversations with more than just a cheap heckle in mind. One criticism of Hayward’s material is perhaps that it moves too quickly and doesn’t necessarily interconnect or make sense in the context of the show Hey Follower. Regardless of this, the show is interesting and hilarious in places. Hayward ends her set with a rap she has written down on a piece of paper, summarising her show in a very self-deprecating and awkward manor. It makes for the perfect end - impeccably matching her rhythm and personality.
