Jessica Sage and her one year old enjoy an afternoon of comedy for parents at Komedia Bath
There is nothing amusing about having a bad night with a teething baby, praying and hoping that your little bundle of joy will finally close their eyes and you might have a few precious hours of sleep. However, if you are lucky enough to get some ‘zzz’ and in need of some ‘adult time’, I cannot recommend Bring Your Own Baby comedy at Komedia enough, it will certainly make you giggle and put a smile back on your tired face!
The concept of the comedy gig is genius, it is as simple as bringing your baby (under the age of 12 months) to sit and watch a couple of comedians for an hour or so, in a baby-friendly setting, complete with its own buggy park.
To be honest, it was completely manic on arrival, clambering over babies on play mats and changing bags sprawled all over the floor, but once we found a seat the initial chaos seemed to settle down. From arrival, upbeat music was playing with neon strobe lighting bouncing off the walls which was a great stimuli, my little chap being fascinated by the new environment. There was a large area of play mats with toys dotted around for babies, baby change units were easily available and foam colourful mats were under each seat, so you could lie your baby down if you wanted too – a very clever & thoughtful touch!
The gig promptly started with Sally Anne, who hosted the event and introduced the comedians, Chris Purchase and Carly Smallman. Sally was my favourite, she interacted fantastically with the audience and at points I was crying with laughter. She sarcastically haggled with individuals and within minutes realised there was only one dad in the audience, with poor Mark becoming the butt of most jokes, but it was very humorous.
Next Chris Purchase took the stage, covering plenty of subjects in a story telling manner that quickly captured the audience. However, with his main sketch subjects being predictably masculine, I do admit to becoming quickly disengaged – weight stories and sex jokes are personally my least favourite, although the rest of the audience seemed entertained & reacted well.
Carly Smallman was fantastic, with a dominant stage presence and a great singing voice. I would compare her to a Bridget Jones like character, who played the guitar and sang naughty songs about her disastrous love affairs. She was very loveable and easy to connect with.
Overall I thought the event was great, even if most of the audience appeared to be from parenting groups making it quite cliches and difficult to make new friends. On the other hand both Sally and Carly made light of baby organisations, bantering about forced ‘mum friendships’ that had everyone in stitches about the reality of motherhood.
I applaud Komedia for entertaining lots of young vocal babies; the staff were happy, friendly and helpful. One observation, it would be better if the show wasn’t bang on lunch time, as little mouths will not wait!
The next Bring Your Own Baby event at Komedia Bath is the 9 January and Ben and I will definitely be returning!