It is impossible to write an objective review over Martha McBrier’s show. Under normal circumstances you would be able to, but although most comedians might a bad night, this was spectacularly awful. The night I went to see the stand up comedian, the audience was let into the venue fifteen minutes late, which prompted some discomfort amongst the public, we were then told that McBrier was on the other side of town waiting for a taxi. How was she late for her own show, and still waiting for a cab 15 minutes into her act is anyone’s wonder, but thanks to Christine Hamilton (who was in the audience) and a young performer from the South By South Wales cast that jumped to the stage to calm the masses, the audience waited patiently.
McBrier herself started her routine thirty-five minutes late, with no other explanation that a funny remark about famous people and performers being allowed to be late. Funny, and very down to earth, McBrier seemed able to regain some dignity out of the situation but, once she started, the next thirty minutes of her show was like watching a car crash happening.
As McBrier bases much of her routine in interactions with the audience, she started asking questions around, and ended up having a sort of conversations throughout the whole night with a couple of incomprehensible drunken neds in the front row. Any other comedian might have been able to save the situation, deal with the random heckling, and move on, but McBrier decided instead to humour them and answer back every time they said something. Though funny at first, their constant chat made a bad situation worse.
It is impossible to judge exactly how McBrier’s show is, since that night the audience did not see a show, but saw a woman trying to get out intact of a horrendous situation. In saying that, at the end of the show, McBrier asks the audience to shout ‘I believe’ if they think that it is possible for a woman to get on stage, unscripted and create an amusing hour stand up routine. Many audience members kept loudly silent.
2/5 
Adrian G. Velazquez
