The joys – and otherwise – of parenting are central stage for Janine Harouni’s new tour, kicking off its 13-date run with a night at the Norwich Theatre Playhouse.
The whiteness of the Norfolk audience didn’t escape the Arab-Irish comedian, whose routine touches on geopolitics only to the extent it allows her to describe her British-born son as a coloniser, taking over the house, and her and her siblings as ‘domestic’ terrorists to her own parents.
But it’s family that sits at the centre, with routines switching between her own experiences growing up and her relationship with her mother, to her current role as a parent to a toddler and the changing dynamic that brings to her understanding of her childhood.
While some of the topics are far from original – many comics farm their own experiences as new parents for their sets – Harouni brings some extra sparkle via her family and husband. The vision of her 70-year-old mum sneaking out of the house for a midnight spray tan is priceless (as is a delicious callback later), and her easy audience interaction allows for a cutely executed mime of her husband.
It’s a warm and enjoyable show. While Harouni’s US roots means there is talk of therapy and tech, she’s lived in the UK long enough to know it’s the gritty stuff that works best, making for a well-balanced mix of material.
Support from Alison Spittle is extremely biographical. Her punchy anecdotes range from a phantom teenage banshee attack, to destroying a speculum, to the unlikely transubstantiation of whole bananas when dieting (probably my favourite, er, gag of the night).
- Janine Harouni is touring nationally. Alison Spittle is touring her solo show, including Norwich Theatre Stage Two on 15 March and Cambridge Junction on 22 March.
