Lianna Holston’s Haha, Oh God defies expectations to such an extent that it is truly remarkable what she has achieved in this hour She achieves the seemingly impossible and proves the extent in which comedy and creativity can thrive. As the saying goes, diamonds are made under pressure.
Held together by the ‘motif of suffering’, Holston creates a show of very disparate parts that serve as a sort of introduction to herself and her comedic style. It is truly difficult to believe that Haha, Oh God was written in only 20 days. There are two major threads within the show as Holston manages to maintain a rather rigorous political and social commentary through the most innocuous of anecdotes, whilst simultaneously subverting traditional comedy tropes.
The only major fault that can be found in this set is that it lacks any form of segue that seamlessly transitions us from one joke to the next and this plays both in her favour and against. It allows her some flexibility to showcase her improvisational talents as she passes judgements on animals without a sense of hesitation or stopping to think on it. And in a more structured show, it would be more difficult to shoehorn something like this in and what turns out to be one of the more memorable moments of the evening. But mostly, the lack of segue just means that there’s a bit of a stopping and starting as Holston moves from one ‘bit’ to the next. And during these gaps, there is a noticeable dip in the energy and atmosphere in the room, but which swiftly rights itself as Holston moves on with the show. A minor issue on the whole but which does punctuate the evening a little.
“True comedy gold”
Not only does this show elicit laughter – as is the bare minimum for a comedy hour – but awe in the versatility and range of comedic techniques used by Holston to deliver jokes at an incredible rate, barely leaving us time between to catch our breaths. There’s just a constant sense of hilarity that makes the time absolutely fly. Holston is a compelling and relatable performer, utilising her nervous energy to move the show forward. She leans heavily on irony and sarcasm to mould her jokes rather than the typical building blocks and the comedy is created in the space where her matter-of-fact delivery doesn’t quite match the somewhat illogical situation that she narrates to us. It’s also in the accuracy of the detailing that colour a scenario, making specific allusions to references that are easily within our grasp and that we can quickly click into in the moment, easily eliciting a laugh. An example of this, she takes the self-depreciation to new levels just in terms of specificity to the point where there isn’t really room for pathos as we laugh along with her.
The creation of the hour Haha, Oh God – despite the context – has greatly enriched the comedy scene. This is just such a light and effortlessly funny show that truly showcases not only what Holston can do but her future potential as a comic. I truly expect remarkable things from her and will be bragging about seeing her first hour for years to come as she becomes a stalwart of UK comedy. Haha, Oh God is true comedy gold.
Pepper & Salt 
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