Unlike the usual awkward 'how is everyone?' welcome at the start of a stand up show, Sarah Kendall was immediately charismatic and engaging, casually chatting to an audience member who she had just bumped into outside about an accidental collision. Even in just recounting a fairly inane explanation of why she had seemed out of it, Kendall was incredibly funny.
Starting her show properly, it becomes evident that her material is based, whether true or not, on personal experience. Her anecdote seamlessly flows into narrative, and before we know it, she has an utterly captivated audience, embedding narrative within narrative to string us along even further. She admits even withing these stories that she places a lot of weight on storytelling, and she even explains the mechanics of her comedy to us, but we still fall for it hook, line and sinker.
Kendall has a simultaneous easiness, as well as an energy about her. She sounds as if she could be a friend telling a story in a bar, making her material very identifiable. Her impressions are perfect and her adult insights into a children's story sound like a much more clever version of the voices we have in our own heads, interjecting with quips we could have actually had.
Scattered in Sarah's story-telling are subtle social and political quips, all the more effective for just being side jokes, rather than taking centre stage. However, alongside the humour, Kendall injects a certain seriousness. At times this was incredibly effective in building up the tension to her punch-line. At other times, it became profound, and perhaps I am just soft, but her seriousness about the realisation that truly amazing things don't just happen in fiction, but in real life too was really moving, and almost brought a tear to my eye.
Kendall is an utterly brilliant comic who who has a way with words and knows exactly how to manipulate her audience, but that's ok, because by doing this, she will make you more than just laugh. An absolute must see at the Fringe; it will be hard to stop smiling afterwards.
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Sarah Kendall is on at 18:45 in the Assembly George Square Studios until 28 August. For tickets and more information, visit the Fringe website.
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