When Politics for Bitches began with Bernie the Bernese Mountain dog on the stage, I thought it may have reached its peak, but I was so wrong. The audience was in for a real treat and a true rollercoaster of emotions.
Luisa Omielan, who currently appears on a BBC One show of the same name, opened Politics for Bitches at the Riverfront in the most relaxed way I’ve ever seen: by dancing around the stage with her beloved dog and generally having a wonderful time. When the lights went down, she began her set, and the audience immediately took to her.
Armed with a flip chart and board markers, Luisa took a very down-to-earth approach to explaining politics, confessing that it wasn’t really her thing, but somehow making the topic accessible to the general public.
She had the perfect mix of comedy and intelligent insight into the topics really affecting the British public. She used humour and hard facts to talk about Brexit, government funding and tax, jobs and education, politicians and their backgrounds and, finally, the NHS. There were plenty of gasps at some of the statistics she presented us with, lots of laughs at her jokes, and plenty of nodding heads and applause as the audience agreed with her most salient points.
The show took an emotional turn as Luisa’s attention honed in on the NHS. She shared the sad story of her mother’s bowel and stomach cancer with the audience, opening up about the late diagnosis, and the poor care her mother received at the hands of the NHS. You could have heard a pin drop as she shared her heart-breaking tale with the audience and I guarantee there was not a dry eye in the house. If the audience had felt connected to Luisa before this, it was nothing compared to the connection they felt after she shared her harrowing story with us.
I’ve seen a fair few comedians over the years, but Luisa was the first one ever to make me laugh and cry within moments of one another. And I have never watched such a likeable and relatable performer before.
I can say that, hand on heart, I am now a Luisa Omielan fan, and I hope she has an incredibly bright future ahead of her.
Luisa speaks a lot of sense, so I would encourage everyone to grab tickets and go and see her on tour. You won’t be disappointed.
Touring:
http://www.iloveluisa.com