Words, jokes, and thoughts explosively
escape from Juliette Burton's mind in a show that dares its audience to be
kind. Award-winning, feminist comedian, Juliette Burton asks when most of us
find it hard being kind to ourselves, let alone others, is being nice outdated?
Or can kindness change the world? Using her own stories, experiences, and research
this is a show about how one tiny act can make a world of difference. "Would
you #DareToBeKind?"
The performance began long before the first
lighting cue, as we were given slips of paper to write down a dare for an
audience member in the next show. A #DareToBeKind to someone in some way. Cleverly,
allowing the positive impact of the performance to continue out into the real
world well after it had finished; this was the butterfly effect. When we
entered the auditorium, projected onto the screen was a notebook being filled
with lots of ideas on how to be kind. It was a time-lapse of Burton writing it
out. The documentary clips and visual backdrops to the performance were
brilliantly produced. They were neat and aesthetically pleasing.
Her stand-up comedy style was truly unique.
There were lots of nuances and layers to her comedy style. There was
observational humour, both in terms of her inner thoughts and the world around her;
intelligent jokes, which made an impact a few seconds after you worked out the
punchline; and quirky comedy, where ideas were often taken to an extreme place
to prove a point. When it came down to it, Burton used stand-up comedy to
explore the subject of mental health. While this has been done by lots of other
performers, it was her comedy style and personal stories which made her stand-up, stand out. The content was funny, bursting with heart, and importantly
relatable.
Her performance style was full of charisma
and warmth. Burton completely owned the stage and in a complimentary way, was a
bubbly, rocket powered chatterbox. She talked about everything and anything. Often
when she made an ad-libbed comment, in response to something unexpected that
happened in the show, that was her at her funniest. What was commendable was
her ability to make the show appear fresh and spontaneous, even though she had
performed it many times before.
Burton was beautifully and unashamedly
herself: giving a performance that erupted with energy, sincerity, and passion.
Never once was this show preachy, and her heart was totally in the right place.
Butterfly Effect was created as a kind gift: an opportunity to educate, help,
comfort, awaken, evoke, and empower its audience. Definitely one to watch out
for in the world of comedy. Go and watch this show while it's still on tour.
Reviewer - Sam Lowe
on - 14/9/18
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