Review by Steve Bennett

Now here’s a phrase you won’t hear that often. Bethany is a goth… and she has an intriguing personality.

Her material is as black as her eyeshadow - as you might expect - but it’s delivered not with sullen deadpan, but a fatalistically cheery self-awareness and plenty of smart charm.

She’s about gags, rather than mood, and never lets an opportunity slide for a sly innuendo or punny one-liner, preferably both at the same time. It’s a strength in that she’s got the rhythm of a comic; but also means her genuine experiences can be thrown away for the purpose of a straightforward, generic joke.

They are not all good, by a long chalk, and the set is a bit repetitive – how many sapphic double entendres can one person really take, even if they are her strongest card – but for a relative newcomer, the strike rate’s decent enough.

But primarily, too many formula, go-for-the-sickest-thing-you-can jokes overwhelm the anecdotes, and you suspect there’s plenty of more absorbing, honest material beneath the surface.

Bethany’s by no means the finished product, remaining entertaining rather than a must-see, but she seems to be in possession of all the comic tools it’ll take to get her there – most crucially a sharp tongue and an engaging personality you’d like to hear more from.

Review date: 25 Oct 2006
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett