By Ron Bingham
Standup Sara Pascoe is playing in a lovely big room, which I am assuming is normally a lecture theatre. In front of the seats is a bench for resting your drinks on (that’s how students get through lectures these days, isn’t it?) and the seats are very comfortable. It also sets the scene for an extraordinary history lesson.
The history that Sara is fighting against is her own personal history, as we hear about her family, a few youthful crushes (I now have too much information in my brain about boy band Take That), her relationships and her biological clock. This is interspersed with a number of facts about biology and mating as well as opinions on relationships, sexism and the media. It doesn’t get heavy or preachy, and Sara is an engaging host through the intricacies of mating rituals (and sperm selection and drawing genitalia). Sara is like one of the best teachers you remember getting laughs from intelligent insights but also occasionally quite silly. I can attest that she is correct about how the rest of the world sees the local tabloid newspaper’s Page 3. Sometimes Britain can seem a little weird.
This follow up to Sara Pascoe Vs The Truth is for people who aren’t afraid to hear a little bit about the human body, well, quite a lot about the human body, and the latest anthropological theories about female sexuality and gene selection. I did get the impression that the show could more correctly be titled “vs sexual history”, but maybe that would have scared some people away. Sara isn’t scary at all, though there may have been some rude words used during the show. If you want a show which is very funny as well as educational for grown ups, with the added bonus of somewhere to rest your beer, get to this show. Sara is gaining quite a following, the room was close to full on the night I was there so I’d recommended getting tickets early.
Sara Pascoe is performing Sara Pascoe vs History at Assembly George Square Studios.
For Tickets and more information go to the Edinburgh Fringe Website:
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sara-pascoe-vs-history