It is quite a unique experience to have had a social media app send a picture of your face to millions of users, asking them a single question – “Is She Hot?” This is exactly what happened to Jodie Sloan on one fateful day in 2023. Her debut show, based on this question, is a fun mix of original musical comedy songs and readings from Sloan’s childhood diary, showing a fascinating contrast between the innocence of childhood and the jadedness of adulthood.
As one might expect from a show with a title like this one, Sloan focuses a lot on her experiences when it comes to how she and the world view her physical traits. Whether she likes it or not, she is connected to her mother, whether it’s through the dimple on her chin or the line on her nose. The sharp turn around the 40-minute mark to a darker show about grief and female rage is one that has come to be expected in comedy shows. Sloan, however, cuts off the silliness mid-song, forcing the audience to reckon with their laughter for the rest of the performance. Sloan is a talented comedian with a creative approach to storytelling, but this writer would have liked to see a more gradual descent into the darker aspects of the show, as the change is a bit startling, resulting in the audience pulling away.
Jodie Sloan: Is She Hot?, Pleasance Courtyard, until 24 Aug (not 13), 4.35pm