Zoe Brownstone: How To Be Happy All The Time comedy review – Motherhood on the clock
The Canadian turns the question of whether to become a mother into sharp, thoughtful stand-up, balancing dark personal history with inventive comedy
The clock is ticking for Zoe Brownstone. The Canadian stand-up has 60 minutes to decide whether she wants to be a mother and we, the ‘immovable object’ she calls her audience, are her existential sounding board. The decision-making begins with Brownstone deconstructing her relationship with her own mother, a complicated ‘icon’ of a woman who has a checkered past (to put it lightly). Would she do things differently as a parent? Yes. But is she paralysed by the fear that history could repeat itself? Absolutely.
Directed by Lara Ricote, How To Be Happy All The Time is structured to perfection. This is stand-up in its traditional form but Brownstone sprinkles in a touch of whimsy with DIY props and a jazzy final act. The joke writing is sharp and confident, with one gag about a baby CEO being a strong contender for best joke at the Fringe. She handles darker moments with care too, sharing an abortion story that adds depth to the overall narrative. It may not have been her crowd today (the material is not really aimed at older men of which there were many), but Zoe Brownstone still performs with gusto, even when laughs are criminally low.
Zoe Brownstone: How To Be Happy All The Time, Banshee Labyrinth, until 30 August, 3.55pm.