Bobby Dazzler is Sarah Millican’s sixth international tour and I have been fortunate to see the last five shows. I know she will talk about bodily functions, I can guarantee she will make me laugh and cringe at the same time and that is why I love to go and see her perform. If you have seen her on the television and been offended or shocked, then don’t go and see her live!
Sarah is a great advocate of body-positivity which was reflected in the name of her tour, Bobby Dazzler. It is a beautiful, Geordie term for someone who is remarkable or excellent or shows great dress sense. Even in 2021, it still feels refreshing to hear someone talking about the private parts of their body with no inhibitions. She is unashamed to share about things that we all go through and no one really discusses.
Her opening to the show was to ask the audience what they had done over lockdown. We had a range of comments from trying online dating, moving back in with your parents to organising your clothes by shade and colour. Her interaction and unrehearsed comments were superb and very witty.
As with many of us, Sarah realised over lockdown that she had put on weight so decided to have a go at the Couch to 5K challenge. She is one of the voices you can choose on the app so she thought it would be interesting to see if she could be motivated by her own voice. Apparently, it was just really annoying!
Sarah also described her joy at discovering online shopping during the pandemic rather than the embarrassment of getting stuck in a cubicle or a tiny dress. Her timing is impeccable, waiting until you don’t think she can go any further…and then she does. This is very typical of her humour, like a warm cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit which makes you feel good about yourself.
One of the things I love about her style is her ability to tell a story so well that you feel like you are right there with her in that moment. The whole audience is on a journey with her, hanging on to her every word.
Just when I thought she could not shock me any more than she has done, she went into a huge amount of detail about her last smear test. Any person who had endured a smear test collectively reacted by trying to squeeze their legs closed when she started talking! I won’t describe everything she said here but it was excruciatingly accurate and incredibly funny. I looked round a couple of times and the men who I could see looked equally bemused and horrified. My husband said it was too much information but he couldn’t stop laughing.
I like that she ended the night by reminding us all how important it is to go for your medical screening appointments, it can literally save your life.
Sarah has a range of merchandise available for the tour which was all made by independent businesses. She knew that they had been hit hard by the pandemic so they are receiving all of the profits from the sale of the goods. She also had a collection at the end of night for the Samaritans in the local area so that the audience could donate to help people in their location.
The tour is ongoing and if you want a genuinely laugh out loud, face aching night then try to get a ticket. Do be warned though that the show has an age restriction of 16+ for a very good reason!
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Call for Submissions: Glow: City at Night Poems The Broken Spine is excited to announce that submissions for our latest slimline anthology,
The Broken Spine is a poetry and arts collective proudly published on the coastal edge of North-West England. Founded in 2019 by Alan Parry and Paul Robert Mullen – two school friends reunited after twenty years through a mutual love of poetry.
