Soho theatre, London
Inspired by joint therapy sessions with her father, the standup’s joyful show has vivid portraits of her ‘borderline-delusional’ parents
How would you describe my vibe, Sophie Duker asked friends one day, and – quelle surprise – she didn’t get the answers she was fishing for. Niche, said one; intense, another. But the most common response: daddy issues. Now here comes Duker’s new show, But Daddy I Love Her, to explore why. It was prompted, she claims, by her absent father’s proposal that they attend therapy sessions together. Could there be any better raw material, asks Duker, for a comedy show?
At the very least it licenses much navel-gazing gaiety as Duker considers how she appears to others – and how she would like to. Is she hot or cool? Might she pole-dance, and does she have “main character energy”? There’s certainly plenty of the latter – more so than actual jokes in the early stages. But the show gets more compelling with the introduction of the 34-year-old’s mum and distant dad. The former in particular is vividly drawn: “dressing sexy, but only for church”, her piety manifesting itself in some improbable hoarding habits.
At Soho theatre, London, until 19 October
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