Abigoliah Works It

I first encountered New York comedian Abigoliah Schamaun last year, hosting a competition for new female comedy talent. It's a tough gig, hosting. It's an especially tough gig hosting a night in which none of those taking part has more than 5 years experience, and are feeling the pressure. As it happened the night was only mildly patchy but you got the feeling that even if it had been dire Schamaun would have risen to the occasion. She commented positively on the comic material and encouraged warm applause without seeming patronising or insincere. So I was interested to see her new show Abigoliah Schamaun is Working on it at the Brighton Fringe and this yoga teaching New Yorker did not disappoint.

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It was yet another potentially tricky setting for Abigoliah. Upstairs at the Caroline of Brunswick pub (where drinks are reasonably priced and there is a small outside space to sit in) the audience was a little thin on the ground. As I approached the door I heard Abigoliah say "No, I didn't get a tech". Oh no! This is a disaster! I thought, because in my line of work we often discuss who is going to tech what show (never me) and as I understand it, while a bad tech can completely destroy a show, no tech surely means no show...

Not so! Abigoliah does her own damn tech. It's an interesting development in comedy, now that computers are tiny laptops and most people can negotiate connecting said laptop to a projector stand up has now gone multimedia. When I went to see Miranda Hart she showed a YouTube clip of a dog humping a woman. Abigoliah had an entire power point. A power point that tracked her childhood. 

Abigoliah talked about her father and her childhood to an audience of around 10 (I spotted stand up comedian Jen Brister in the audience, I don't know if that's a good endorsement or not, I'm just sayin') with absolutely no qualms about the numbers. 

This new show is currently a work in progress. Abigoliah really is...working on it.

In spite of some people's belief that comedy is about making an audience squirm, actual comedy - you know, the kind you enjoy - is about making an audience comfortable. This isn't about making sure they have drinks, it's about the comic on stage being sure of themselves enough that the audience doesn't feel like it's all going to fall apart any second. As Abigoliah said, she knew most people's names present and she could easily learn the rest. See! Threateningly comfy! It's a fine balance.

This new show is currently a work in progress. Abigoliah really is...working on it. But it already works well. There is some reflection dress size and pop and rock music's fondness for the curvier girl. An awkward childhood in which, aged 8, Abigoliah's parents questioned her intellectual abilities is also good comedy fodder, at one photo of the comic as a young girl I laughed to a point that might have been cruel. However she also manages to discuss the death of a parent, cancer and promiscuity and skilfully mine the same amount of comedy from these more difficult subjects. 

Oh yeah, and while we're here, let's talk about the name, it's origins are Gaelic. Or Hebrew. You decide for yourself. Just never call her Abby. 

Squeamish Kate

Catch Abigoliah on 7th May at the Caroline of Brunswick at 19:45!