FESTIVAL COMEDY | Sara Barron >>
T he detailed documentation of a life lived well on social media is a curious thing. Day to day existence is now screened and i ltered so it resembles something almost entirely glamorous and exciting; a phenomenon that, while no doubt entertaining millions, is bound to foster feelings of inadequacy in others. It’s something that’s played on the mind of comedian Sara Barron, whose debut Edinburgh show For Worse offers truth as a counterpoint to careful curation.
Barron is preparing for her i rst visit to the Fringe as a stand-up, after previous trips for recreational and research purposes hammered home a desire to bare her soul on stage for a month. ‘What I’ve realised about myself as I’ve got older is that I would sit down with anyone and tell them anything about myself. I’m a real warts and all person, which I think is just a healthy way to live.’ The show’s thematic parameters stem from Barron’s own specii c experience of becoming a mother for the i rst time in 2016, which she says left her shellshocked. ‘I thought motherhood was smothering an adorable infant, smiling into a seli e and putting that shit up online. Anyone who takes an attractive photo of themselves and puts it online while dealing with a newborn is feeding so many other people’s post-natal depression, you know?’ The disparity between the difi culty of coping, and the idealised presentations she found herself confronted with was striking, and forms the basis of For Worse. ‘I’m trying to talk about advancing towards middle age in a way that’s real, what it’s actually about, and not the whitewashed version that ends up on social media.’
Barron’s own journey to the Fringe has been a long one. Moving from the Chicago suburbs to New York as a 17-year-old, she enrolled at NYU with dreams of becoming an actor, before realising just days after graduation that it had been a huge mistake. ‘I sorta knocked around for ten months, waiting tables, trying to i gure out what to do and what I was interested in.’ At that point Barron gravitated towards New York’s
52 THE LIST FESTIVAL 1–8 Aug 2018
thriving comedy scene. ‘We’re talking 15 years ago,’ she qualii es. ‘I tried stand-up for like six months and thought “this is the most terrifying, horrendous thing I’ve ever done”. If I had a gig that night I’d be sick with fear the whole day.’ She kept up with the writing side of things, publishing two comic essay collections (People Are Unappealing and The Harm in Asking) that brought comparisons to David Sedaris, and got involved with The Moth, a non-proi t collective in New York dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. Now a popular podcast, it began as a series of live shows in New York that Barron would occasionally host. Through The Moth, Barron met her future husband (a podcast and radio producer) who assumed she was a performing comedian. Finding out she hadn’t got up on stage in a decade, he encouraged her. ‘Something clicked second time round. I got it in my head that when I was done working on this second book that I was writing, maybe I would try and put my toe in the water again,’ she says. ‘I immediately fell in love and got the bug, an addiction I couldn’t i nd at 22.’
For Worse is the culmination of a lengthy journey for Barron, a talented performer with a fanbase that includes gonzo journalist and storyteller extraordinaire Jon Ronson. You sense her debut Edinburgh show is something she believes in with every i bre of her being, a show that will resonate with audience members at a time when openly talking about mental and physical health is so important. ‘I wanted to write a stand-up hour that had the momentum of a story-based show. I’ve tried to keep in mind the goal of telling the truth. That’s the northern star I return to: is it true, is it real? The more you can talk and be honest (and air what is painful and hard with your life, even in the context of a relationship with a friend) the better. It’s a valuable service.’
Sara Barron: For Worse, Just the Tonic at The Tron, 2–26 Aug (not 13), 3.40pm, £5 in advance or donation at the venue.
TALES IN THE CAPITAL CITY This quintet are also putting stories at the heart of their comedy
JOHN PENDAL Everyone’s family tree will throw up tales and secrets, but not many can tell them like Pendal, with We Are Family featuring mutinies, i re-raising and serious mental health issues. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 4–26 Aug (not 13), 5.30pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10). Previews 1–3 Aug, £6.
WIL GREENWAY The classic word-of-mouth hit, Greenway makes his debut in the comedy section with Either Side of Everything featuring stories and live musicians. Underbelly Bristo Square, 4–26 Aug (not 13), 2.50pm, £10.50–£11.50 (£9.50–£10.50). Previews 2 & 3 Aug, £6.50.
CHARLIE PARTRIDGE I Can Make You Feel Good. By Comparison. certainly might win the award for the most grammatically intriguing title of the month (though check out John-Luke Roberts’ for commitment to the cause) and we hope its creator can match it with his actual show about falling in love with the wrong person. Just the Tonic at The Caves, 2–26 Aug (not 13), 4.50pm, £5 in advance or donation at the venue.
MARJOLEIN ROBERTSON This rising Shetland stand-up announces that It’s Time as she interweaves her own story into traditional folk tales from her home community. Bar Bados Complex, 4–25 Aug (not 14), 8.30pm, donation.
EDD HEDGES The young chap with the eyebrows and jumpers won So You Think You’re Funny in 2013 and made his Fringe debut last summer. His follow-up, For Eva, From Forever Ago, explores three events over the course of three decades which may or may not be connected (they probably will be). Gilded Balloon Teviot, 4–26 Aug (not 13), 4pm, £8–£10 (£7–£9). Previews 1–3 Aug, £6.