Grace Campbell Is On Heat

Edinburgh Fringe – Gilded Balloon

There is a catharsis in watching comedy, to watching live performance. Grace Campbell Is On Heat is one such show, where her compelling storytelling and performance drives this hour, where she opens up and reflects about her experience having an abortion, the process and the aftermath that she was left to deal with. 

Campbell has an unbelievable stage presence, she knows how to both own her space and to at the same time make it feel like we’re having a clandestine chat. It’s the comedy equivalent of the chewing gum that got to Violet Beauregarde; instead of a whole meal, it’s a whole night out in just the one show. She commands our attention so that we sit rapt in awe as she makes pithy comments on topics ranging from contraception to her dog and Che Guevara. Even though this show does have a main throughline, the comedy within it is amplified by Campbell’s tangents and comments, which creates a circular narrative to the point where it just becomes a larger extension of the story itself rather than an obvious offshoot.

“I can’t wait to tell the girls about this.”

Campbell’s delivery and tone of most of her jokes comes across sincere and this often works in her favour. By including and  playing with the knowledge of our familiarity with the common experiences or sayings that sources of annoyance for us, she heavily punctuates her comedy with a sort of side-eye that gives us an outlet for our frustration through laughter. We laugh with her.

Anyone who dismisses Campbell’s shows aren’t actually listening to what she’s saying, because her word choice and tone are very subtle and subversive in getting her point across, she hides her main messages in a deceivingly- shallow wrapping.  Grace Campbell Is On Heat is empowering, there are elements of it that are built from a genuine observational space that comes from the experience of what it is to be a woman growing up in our current society, and sharing those experiences, normalizing talking about them and opening up that conversation is incredibly helpful.

Only those with ice in their hearts would not be moved by Campbell in this show, her bravery, her sincerity, her story. Grace Campbell Is On Heat is such a powerful hour, and really brings us together as a group, there’s just a feeling of quiet support and understanding. It’s such a lovely atmosphere and moment to be a part of. I can’t wait to tell the girls about this show.   

By Katerina Partolina Schwartz

Photo credit: Eva Pentel