Jay Lafferty: Bahookie (touring) ★★★★★

So, we go through vignettes dedicated to the likes of self-help diaries, the outrage provoked by targeted advertising, engaging a life coach, her relationship with her son, always trying to find the joy in life and, of course, giving it pole action for the first time. 

A not-insignificant supporting player in all this is Dan, her dancing instructor. His fish wife barbs, played as audio clips, are frequent highlights of a set that fairly rollocks along. “You look like a bag’a’washin’, hen!” is typical of the coaching ‘technique’ employed. (It is to the delight of the audience when it is revealed that the man himself is actually in attendance at this particular performance.)

A regular compere on the compilation show circuit, Lafferty’s skill at tapping her audiences for material is very much apparent. Once the obligatory “What’s your name?” etc. caper is dealt with, her explorations of ‘And how have you bettered yourself?’, to keep the improvement theme going, elicit big laughs. She is always cheeky, sometimes delightfully so, but never cruel with it.

Lafferty’s roots mean that she punts a ‘pure dead magic’ line in ‘wee Glasga wummin’ humour. Indeed, Bahookie offers the audience the unlikely mash-up of The Steamie and Showgirls that you never knew you needed.