An Ungrateful Woman ★★★★★

---

in Herald Scotland on August 9th, 2014

So, following her award-winning A Bic For Her at last year’s Fringe, Bridget Christie was asked what she’d be doing next, as if an hour of feminist comedy had wiped the slate clean and she could now tackle important issues like space hoppers and Spangles.

Thankfully in An Ungrateful Woman, Christie takes the issue further – much further.

In the hands of a less skilful writer and performer, bringing the campaign against female genital mutilation into an hour comedy wedged between breakfast and lunch could be a disaster.

However, she manages to frame the issue in the context of her own experiences of sexism and in the admission that while the public feminist stance is fairly recent, it’s a full-time job, much to the irritation of her “fictional on-stage husband”. The crowd knows this is Stewart Lee, and in his role as fictional on-stage husband, he does come in for a gentle pounding, leading to highly amusing mental pictures conjured up by this apparent peek into their everyday domesticity.

Although there are moments of fancy, Christie is a truth-teller. That she has managed to break through without compromising and in a comedy world still dominated by men is astonishing.

Herald Scotland on 9th August 2014.
Filed Under: An Ungrateful Woman, Review

---