Comedy review: Julia Sutherland, Ibrox Library, Glasgow

A LIBRARY might seem an unusual spot for stand-up. But it was here that Julia Sutherland used to attend WeightWatchers, so it’s an apposite venue for Fat Chance’s debut.

Julia Sutherland

Ibrox Library, Glasgow

***

In a brutally honest account of one woman’s drop from 16½ to 10½ stone, Sutherland is sardonic and frequently very funny. Yet she spares excessive sentimentality, casting an unflattering light on the reaction of society, family, friends and most harshly, herself, to the weight loss.

An interesting companion show to last year’s Reduced Circumstances by Mitch Benn, who lost a similar amount of weight and maintained that the obese are “the last legitimate hate group”, Sutherland’s observations suggest larger women tend to be more patronised than openly despised, with more insidious ways of making them feel bad about themselves. Not letting them ride on horses for one.

The Glaswegian reckons that everyone feels like awkward at school, but some are better at hiding it. Yet her experience of “before” and “after” a complete image change is a boon for an astute outsider-observer like herself, scrutinising her new body from a mentality that recalls the old one.

Crucially, although there’s an underlying sense of triumph, not least as losing weight encouraged Sutherland to try performing, she’s not given to smug false modesty. When she talks about the effect on her sexuality, it’s with the immediacy of someone still finding themselves, but who knows she might relapse. Her show is a little flabby at 75 minutes, but for a first run through, very promising.