Kirsty Mann has a secret – and she has decided to tell the public about it through a stand-up comedy show. Mann spent 10 years working as both an anaesthetist and a comedian because she wanted to be taken seriously in each role and as she tells the audience, this show is about just how she ended up performing in Adelaide. Skeletons is the story of the literal skeleton coming out of the closet during 2020, as well as Mann’s experience living a double life.
While the material makes for an interesting story on its own, Mann makes it into an incredibly engaging hour of comedy through her energetic stage presence and delivery. She blends light, sound effects, music and character acting to enhance the stand-up and make the show more memorable than it already would have been. It leads to a performance that has a restless energy but still feels incredibly considered and well thought-out.
When she’s not doing a Geordie accent or belting out One Direction through the speakers, Mann is bringing an emotional throughline to the set – to great effect. Her decision to reveal her double life came during the midst of the UK’s Covid outbreak, making it a poignant but necessary part of the story. Those emotional beats (and others towards the end) are a welcome addition, with Mann taking what could have been just a set about a fun story and turning it into a touching message about honesty and self-acceptance.
Kirsty Mann, Skeletons, The Courtyard of Curiosities at the Migration Museum, until 9 March