Despite their reputation for attracting a sparse crowd, I find a sleepy Sunday afternoon one of the prime times to catch a Fringe performance. Whilst many city folk will no doubt be caught up in the ever-looming Sunday-scaries, there’s a contingent of sun-drunk Brightonians that I’ve observed these past few weeks, swigging their latter day pints and slapping on the suncream as they retire in a pub garden, the proverbial waiting room for pre and post a Fringe show. Upstairs at The Temple Bar provided the goods this balmy Sunday – the perfect spot for a dose of lighthearted comedy on the blessed day of rest.
Alyssa Kyria is a multi-hyphenate; comedian, singer, funny mummy, and co-creator of “Bring Your Own Baby Comedy”, she brought a much-needed lift to the trials and tribulations of parenthood. As is the fashion with matinees, the audience was eclectic – with families with babes in arms to the left, and Alyssa’s Aunty Maureen to the right, there was a firm feeling of community and comradery, as if we’re all fighting the same fight. I, for one, am not a parent, which felt abundantly clear when Alyssa did the obligatory; “and who doesn’t have kids?”. I was in the minority, but welcomed regardless; the childless twenty-something who comes to a show regaled for its family focus. Let’s put it this way; I wasn’t the target market, but I enjoyed myself immensely.
Singing mid-show tends to be a make or break. In my experience, witty rewrites and canny covers of classic hits often go down a treat with a crowd, the ideal combination of familiarity mixed in with fresh comedy. Our funny mummy had her finger on the pulse, replacing TLC’s infamous “No Scrubs” protagonist with the universal “smug mum” figurehead, and preceding the chorus of Simon and Garfunkel’s inimitable number “Sound of Silence” with “I miss the”. It was funny, it was quick, and it was not quite family-friendly. The ideal concoction of comedy and parenthood, Alyssa Kyria is onto something great.
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