2010 Edinburgh Fringe
Sarah Campbell review
For a Fringe newbie, Sarah Campbell is showing no sign of nerves. In fact she's pretty sure she's got staying power - her Edinburgh debut show 27 Up is, she confesses, nothing but a setup for her follow-up tour 54 Up, which will take place in 2037.
Taking her inspiration from the epic 7 Up series of documentaries from the BBC that follow the lives of 14 children every 7 years, Campbell is somewhat late to the game. But boy, does she make up for it, cramming the last 27 years of her life into this half-hour show. The only drawback is that Campbell isn't so convinced she'll actually make it to the age of 54.
It's an intriguing premise, and gets cleverer when Campbell reveals her plans to communicate with the future via a not-so-hi-tech video camera. Time travel is a pretty mind-bending subject, even for seasoned comics, so up-and-comer Campbell is effectively proving she's got the ladyballs to be a serious player. Plus, there's something delightfully 'Blue Peter gone wrong' about Campbell's time capsule project. It fits perfectly with the impish, Children of the Corn persona Campbell's working, particularly when she recounts her childhood games, which mainly seemed to revolve around terrorising her put-upon mother.
Sarah Campbell has been singled out as a newbie comedian to watch out for, and with good reason. Her half-hour debut show maybe on the Free Fringe, but it's a damn sight better than some of the pricier hacks on the circuit. That's not to say she's a finished product - there's still room for a bit of spit and polish - but it seems quite likely that Campbell could be one of the standout stand-ups of the future. So catch her now.