As the lights come on after one hour with Sian Davies, the girl to my right wipes tears from her eyes—not tears of laughter and not the reaction you’d expect from a Fringe comedy show. The self-proclaimed “proud, working-class queer” does not deliver your run-of-the-mill comedy. Instead, she effortlessly combines heartfelt storytelling with perfectly punctuated, observational wit and the odd “dad joke” thrown in for good measure.
There are magic moments where Sian eschews the usual joke-after-joke cadence you expect, and carefully places a slow intentional tale full of insight and wisdom about life, growing up and…..getting pissed! While the confines of the dark sweaty Teviot Turret made me a little too clammy, I felt right at home in the company of this relatable northern lass.
This year, the Liverpool native brings her show ‘About Time’, to the Gilded Balloon right in the epicenter of the annual Edinburgh Fringe. This venue may be small but Sian’s talent is certainly not.
The 40-something storyteller shares intimate details about growing up in a working-class family, embarking on a gap year, and getting wrecked with her mates in a late-night supermarket. Dressed head-to-toe in black, the Sue Perkins lookalike treats us to side-splitting stories of what can happen on an overnight train to Varanasi or how we can use humour to deal with grief and trauma.
When life doesn’t follow the trajectory you expected, Davies offers sage advice and helps us laugh at life’s trying times.
Sian Davies' show, 'About Time' runs until August 28th at the Gilded Balloon's Tower room. Tickets are available from Edinburgh Fringe.
4/5
