Good comedy doesn’t come out of a comedian being happy, right? Wrong! Suzi Ruffell proves her own point wrong when she begins her show, Dance Like Everyone’s Watching, by saying she has bad news: she’s happy. We see lots of self-deprecating comedy, so Ruffell is a breath of fresh air as she dances energetically around the stage for an hour talking about how happy she is with her life and all the good things that are happening to her.
A talent not to be missed
Ruffell talks about how musical theatre was her outlet and safe space when she was closeted at school, and this is evident by the way she evocates characters like her mother and her new neighbours. Her impressions are spot on and absolutely hilarious, having the whole audience in stitches for most of the show.
Dance Like Everyone’s Watching isn’t all about positivity however. Ruffell talks about personal, sometimes sad topics like finding it hard to feel pride in her sexuality when people are still getting attacked for being gay and people are protesting LGBT+ education outside schools. But after a heart-warming story about going to World Pride in New York earlier this year, it made me feel proud to be a queer woman just as it did for Ruffell, and that sense of pride and solidarity was a wonderful feeling.
Her happiness shines through and infects the audience on a chilly Tuesday evening. Ruffell’s stage presence is enormous as she gesticulates wildly and uses up every inch of the stage to tell her story, talking fast and full of energy to engage the audience – which she does perfectly. There isn’t much audience interaction, but this works well in the context of the show and certainly isn’t an aspect of stand-up shows that I hugely missed. Dance Like Everyone’s Watching is an exquisite show full of laughs, and Ruffell truly is a talent not to be missed at this year’s festival.
