Isy Suttie: Pearl and Dave

102793 original

Let’s get it out of the way early: yes, it is Dobby off Peep Show, which means she has a pretty good comedy pedigree. But push aside your mental images of her grappling with David Mitchell in a stationery cupboard. Isy Suttie is a musician and standup comedian in her own right, and this teatime show is a definite winner.

Loosely based on the story of an internet romance between one of Suttie’s neighbours and a girl he met at a Butlins resort, the hour mixes a substantial dollop of 80s nostalgia (cue references to Gladiators and Grandstand) with explorations of lost love, painful breakups and growing up in a small town. The tales, told through a mixture of storytelling and song, see Suttie switch between characters with ease.

She may have a well-developed filthy streak, but it’s her sweetness that drives this show – she is almost impossible to dislike. She bounds onstage wearing baggy jeans and tripping over her guitar lead, and proceeds to win the audience over in about 10 seconds. Her cheeks must ache by the end of the hour, because few comedians are so persistently smiley. It doesn’t grate, though: she has the air of someone sharing a stream of secrets that she knows you’re going to enjoy.

Pearl and Dave is anecdotal, charming and poignant. At its core it’s a love story, and as such it won’t be one for every comedy audience. But it is huge fun – wryly funny rather than side-splitting, but sure to put a smile on your face.