Review by Steve Bennett

She claims to be the only African-Barbadian, British-Canadian comedian on the scene… but that’s really the only way Laura Sandiford is unique. With bags of energy, she can enliven the most moribund of open-mic nights with some polished pizzazz. The only problem is once she’s hijacked your attention, she doesn’t really know what to do with it. Thus we are mostly regaled with familiar comic staples as her insistence she’s Canadian not American - since the neighbours are such idiots - and a yarn about crossing the border that’s just another ‘stupid things to say at airline check-ins’ in disguise. To be fair, this latter routine does start to suggest something more interesting with one pay-off about her treatment as a black woman travelling with a white man; but instead of exploring down this path, she quickly scrambles back onto familiar ground. It’s a shame, because she has the stage presence to be a lot more adventurous.

Review date: 10 Jan 2006
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett