Jen Brister: Jen Brister is British(ish)
Live Review

Jen Brister's mum is Spanish but she, herself, was born and raised in England. The contrast between the exuberance of her parent and the reserved British nature gets the comedian thinking about her own identity and where exactly she belongs on the spectrum of Britishness.

So, goes the idea behind the show at least. In reality what we have is a premise that allows her to go on a supermarket sweep of stereotypical attributes.

Us Brits, we don't have opinions but hate queue-jumpers and make great play of boring our eyes into the back of them. Or at least Brister makes great play of this, because of her tendency to go above and beyond the duty of a comic to exaggerate.

In fact it's quite possible that this show could have been done in half the time, but still have felt like it dragged, due to Brister's habit of over-inflating every little detail in order to squeeze some comedy out of it, dragging out what is already a thin premise.

Another example of this comes when she is laying into Britain's colonial past, reading out a list of colonies while she masturbates. Sounds avant-garde? Well, the focus is mainly on Britser's dramatic and booming delivery and any merit seems lost in this mini-monologue that moves me only to think, ‘What do you want from us? Apologise for something we weren't around for in the first place?’

Besides, it's not as if Brister can take the moral high ground with her impression later of an unintelligible Scot who, it transpires, works in the Tourist Information Office. Not a bad gag in its delivery but another example of the hackneyed tour we're on.

Undoubtedly, Brister is a confident and forthright performer with presence but all too often these qualities are abused, and hand-in-hand with exaggerations comes Brister's assumption that shouting means funny. No, it's not just sketch troupes that make this mistake.

The show ends with two stories, one about porn that bears no relation to the theme and contains within it some good observations as well as an interminable playlet, and another that tries to wrap up the theme with a weak callback.

Disappointing. No -ish, no buts.

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As an avid fan of stand up I feel privalaged to have seen a comedian of this outstanding talent before the rest of the world gets their hands on her.

Doug, June 2005

A fantastic stage presence, hilarious delivery and tales that take you along with her completely. As a comic I find myself being a bit curmudgeonly at times with my laughter at other comics, but Jen dragged huge full blooded belly laughs from me and my stomach ached.

Daisy Connolly, November 2004

You need to update your review, this lady has come a long way. She's very funny, handles the audience brilliant and can turn any story or situation into hysterical comedy. Check her out if you get the chance.

Rachel, June 2004

Have seen this lady twice now and I pissed my pants both times.Had the audience in the palm of her hand, most definitely the best act of the evening.

James, December 2003

Jen is superb and funny. I don't think its possible to dislike her.

Nik Coppin, April 2003

Really impressive stuff. Jen has excellent material delivered with great confidence, without being too in-your-face. A great ability to hop in and out of mad characters and still be consistently funny.

Alexis, April 2003

Jen is hilarious. I saw her perform in Sydney in 1999 as part of the Mardi Gras Comedy Festival. She completely dominated the night and captivated the audience and she's a master at developing the most bizarrre things into outrageous comedey.

Kelvin McKerracher, February 2003

Saw J.B in Glasgow last Saturday and she was brilliant, winning over a really difficult audience. One of those comedians who doesn't revert to "tits and arse" jokes when the going gets tough. A really enjoyable night.

Clare, February 2003

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