I like Zoe Lyons. I think she is a funny and amiable person – however, this show was only mildly amusing. Despite being quite a slick set, the topics and stories were bland, and the jokes never had time to be appreciated.
Lyons is obviously talented – her facial expressions and characters are often effective and well done. For example, she did a wonderful impression of a posh Edinburgh resident. However, they often failed to be humorous; they seemed to be apt acts rather than hilarious parodies, and they were drawn out too long to remain funny. Similarly, the topics she covered were not particularly interesting. A lot of the material covered was drawn from common and slightly overused channels, yet failed to give include any original spin. Meanwhile, there were some funny moments in her section on weddings, but the jokes were few and far between, leaving much time for the topic to grow weary.
Although the performance was lacking in belly laughs, it is undeniable that there were jokes to be found within it. There was the occasional amusing comment, but often the jokes weren’t given enough time to settle in, or weren’t given enough time beforehand for the audience to prepare for the gag. This seemed odd, as the show was so polished and effortless otherwise. Some of the better lines ended up as wasted material.
Lyons is a very likeable person, and her rapport with the audience was enjoyable - if not always very witty. Indeed, one of the biggest laughs was the result of some audience banter when she quipped, off the cuff, that there had been no laughs yet. For a comedian with a good range of comedic skills, it seems a shame that Lyons was unable to use her abilities to craft a show with interesting anecdotes and well-timed jokes. And, just as the stories and jokes were drawn out past the point of being amusing, the set dragged on without a conclusive ending to finish satisfactorily.
