Sarah Callaghan: older and wiser

Want unlimited, ad-free access? Become a spiked supporter.
Comedienne Sarah Callaghan’s new hour, The Ballad of Sarah Callaghan, comes to the Fringe after a tour of Australia and New Zealand. It was created as a tie-in with her poetry book of the same name, which is of course flogged after the show. The show mixes recitations from the book with her usual fiery stand up.
The youthful naiveté of her previous shows at the Pleasance has given way to a matured cynicism. The show’s comedic portion riffs on what it means to be part of gang, and she pushes this idea to hilarious extremes. She envies terrorists for feeling more part of a group than she does, and wonders why, in this #MeToo era, no one in the comedy industry has ever tried to assault her. Meanwhile, more serious poems, dealing with past miseries, reveal the disillusionment that drives the show, and serves to make the comedy even funnier.
In this new show, Callaghan is older, wiser and more cuttingly funny than ever.
Christian Butler is a spiked columnist. Follow him on Twitter: @CPAButler
The Ballad of Sarah Callaghan is at Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake until 27 August.
You’ve read 3 free articles this month.
Support spiked and get unlimited access.
HELP US HIT OUR 1% TARGET
spiked is funded by readers like you. It’s your generosity that keeps us fearless and independent.
Only 0.1% of our regular readers currently support spiked. If just 1% gave, we could grow our team – and step up the fight for free speech and democracy right when it matters most.
Join today from £5/month (£50/year) and get unlimited, ad-free access, bonus content, exclusive events and more – all while helping to keep spiked saying the unsayable.
Monthly support makes the biggest difference. Thank you.
Comments
Want to join the conversation?
Only spiked supporters and patrons, who donate regularly to us, can comment on our articles.