Zoe Lyons is a physical and vocal comic and displays her excellence from start to finish. From her use of the entire stage to her witty responses to audience participation, her show is a whirlwind of performance rather than simple comedy.
Lyons’ opening joke sets the mood of the show: a terrific story of a drunken Glaswegian’s likeness to a fly, of course, goes down tremendously with the audience of mainly Edinburgh residents. Her own energy matches that of the audiences and rises with each joke making the show lighthearted; there is never a dull moment.
Entry Level Human proves to be a perfect mix of politics and personal, as Lyons throws her own creative insults into the understanding of the most annoying parts of society. She playfully insults herself, her wife and those around her to help the audience see and laugh at her point of view. The use of comedy to understand politics is of course on the rise with the current tension in the modern political climate. Sometimes it feels as though not much can be done but laugh about it, and Lyons’ show captures this perfectly. The jokes she makes about the political climate are ones we can all relate to, particularly the absurdity of the uncertainty around Brexit and its impact.
The highlight of the evening comes in the form of Lyons’ tremendous accent impressions. She begins a segment by discussing holidays and uses an Australian couple in the crowd as her inspiration. Within the segment, she uses hilariously accurate accents and facial expressions to showcase the ignorance of many Brits abroad.
The only fault in Lyons’ show, though, is her persistence, often taking jokes far past their natural conclusion. The jokes, though very funny at the beginning, were often drawn out to the longest extent rather than finishing with the satisfaction of a large laugh. Lyons continues to push each joke as far as she possibly can, which means the jokes often lose their initial charm.
Overall, however, Zoe Lyons is a talented theatrical comedian who uses her face as much as her voice to captivate audiences and entertain them. The political element of her comedy makes for even more amusing sets and gives the show a certain relatability to British and international audiences alike.
Zoe Lyons: Entry Level Human is on at Gilded Balloon Teviot – Debating Hall
At 21:00 until the 21st of August
Buy tickets here
Image: Mark Vessey