Rebellious, defiant, rude – words that Sophie Willan has been branded with since infancy. And she’s got the proof, in the form of social workers’ reports handed to her in bulk by Bolton social services when she turned 23. Excerpts punctuate On Record, her standup debut, which you might dub a misery memoir, if Willan didn’t tell this tale of her childhood in care – the daughter of a heroin-addicted mum – with such dogged good cheer.
That upbeat tone can feel contrived: her story seems to demand shades other than bright. But there’s no doubt it’s hard-won, nor that Willan makes of this hard-bitten history a lively hour of autobiographical comedy. Armed with an accent that makes Peter Kay sound like Rex Harrison, a bustling manner and a dash of camp, she relates tales of childhood neglect (“Think Mowgli with a mullet”), teenage delinquency and adult drift (getting sacked from Santa’s grotto was a low point) with gossipy glee. She’s at her funniest off-script, chatting to the audience. There’s not a shred of self-pity.
There are detours via more generic material – a curmudgeonly riff on friends with children; a routine about BBC immigrants to Salford. But On Record seldom strays far from Willan’s troubled inheritance – of poverty, addiction, alienation from social norms. Alongside bleak and clinical perspectives on mental illness, she argues – in a final flash of tenacious positivity – we need to celebrate the vivacity of the “mad”. This is a striking snapshot of a life salvaged by resilience, good humour and the care of strangers.
• At Soho theatre, London, until 29 April. Box office: 020-7478 0100.
