Fresh from winning the prestigious Funny Women Stage Award, Nicola Mantalios brings her new show home to Newcastle. Right from the off, with the stage awash in a deep red glow, it feels different to the usual stand up that graces The Stand. With an eerie, almost ethereal soundtrack woven by Beccy Owen from the accounts of the1580s witch trials, the mood is set perfectly, with the promise of something wicked this way to come.

Mantalios steps on stage and immediately launches into a daft but very funny debate about where North, South, East and West actually are, firing off those sharp barbs she’s so good at.  Then we have a synopsis of the show, built on witches and the Triple Goddess’s, representing the three phases of feminine life: youth, fertility, and wisdom. The audience is under her spell.

The first two sections take us through her early life growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness in Jarrow, her experiences as a mum, teenage fake-tan meltdowns, relationships, and even decompressing life choices in the calm of a cemetery.  It’s funny, heartfelt, and she’s ablaze like a pyre of fire.

But it’s in the third section, worth the price of admission alone, where the show goes gloriously full tilt boogie from the earlier lighter shade. She uses her Greek background and mythology not as decoration but as witness, threading women’s struggles through the ages with modern parallels, including a masterclass in how to handle toxic male bravado, proving that standing up to badly placed misogynistic curiosity absolutely kills the twat.

Mantalios’ writing is excellent, As a stage presence, she’s in complete control and tonally spot-on.

She’s confident, and unafraid to shine a light on injustice or heavy subject matter without ever losing the audience.

This is a smart, sharp and at times brilliant theatre piece that brings to the fore a major talent. On this showing, the North East has produced yet another comedy troubadour to get excited about.

 ******

Reviewed by Steve H

The Stand Newcastle