A.L. Kennedy: Present Tense

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A L Kennedy begins her set by welcoming her audience to the perfectly cylindrical Stand II. This architectural quirk is, without a doubt, the most captivating thing about Kennedy’s show, followed in close second by a slowly rotating electric fan that whirrs at the edge of the stage.

Kennedy has an underwhelming physical presence; poor posture and a voice of middle-class tenor do nothing to support a badly written hour of comedy. The tragedy is that you want to like her. She has a soft smile and chuckles amiably at her own jokes. She frequently interjects, "You’re awfully quiet ladies and gentlemen…is there something I can do?" The impulse to respond, 'Be funny!' is quashed by waves of silent condolence; the reaction to Kennedy’s show is one of sympathy, not hilarity.

Kennedy’s set focuses on the regional particularities of Dundee, a dangerously exclusive subject area, before launching unsuccessfully into material on her "vagina janitor" and the struggles surrounding casual sex for women over forty. Her manner is endearingly human and her style anecdotal, encouraging you to follow her quaint tales. However, these chatty stories prove to be little else but extended build ups to jokes that lack punch-lines. Even the well-trod comic path of crudity fails to impress, the mention of ‘genital dandruff’ inspires grimaces rather than giggles.

Having laughed at her own work throughout and begged a reticent audience for a response, Kennedy builds, vulnerably, to a grand finale that fails to impress. As much as you want to like her, Kennedy’s lack of comedic talent leaves you feeling a little disgruntled.