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Zara Gladman And Friends comedy review: Keenly observed character fun

An act whose star is fully on the rise but who might have to flesh out some creations further

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Zara Gladman And Friends comedy review: Keenly observed character fun

Debuting her first full-length show, it’s perfect that Zara Gladman’s breezily monstrous West End Glasgow mum, Aileen, is appearing in her spiritual home of ‘the Òran Mór’. Such is the hyperlocal specificity of this viral online character that despite drawing enough of a crowd to sell out two nights in the converted church’s basement, her cultural references are literally the shops outside on Byres Road. And make no mistake, Aileen claims top billing here, as is artfully conveyed in the opening video in which Gladman flatters her alter ego into taking the gig.

Pictures: Neil Jarvie

Proud, pretentious and utterly lacking in self-awareness, every clueless mention of her husband Daniel is unwitting testimony to the gay fling he’s carrying on right in front of her eyes. Aileen has a full-ish backstory and is keenly observed, so even her potentially clichéd, upper-middle-class slum safari through the aisles of Lidl features some droll lines, reflecting a tight script.

With Gladman capably blending her live stage presence with those trademark videos, employing fellow social-media comics James Gardner as her handyman and Sophie Rose-McCabe as her Edinburgh-mum frenemy Sandra, as well as backing band Talking Hillheads, Aileen more than successfully makes the leap from screen to stage.

But she can’t yet sustain a full hour. So Gladman reappears as the mildly creepy Scottish singer-songwriter Calum McTavish and as herself, performing musical comedy. The former is less successful, with the troubadour as egotistical and oblivious as Aileen, yet lacking the finer details to make his thinly disguised toxicity as compelling. Out of character, Gladman picks up on the feminist theme and offers some amusing insight into her mental health and relationships, but the stand-out tune is a sincere appreciation of mothers. Tellingly, it’s left to Aileen to close the night, as her star seems set to only continue rising.

Zara Gladman And Friends reviewed at Òran Mór, Glasgow, as part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

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