Review by Natalia Milne. Venue 302. Underbelly, Bristo Square – Buttercup.

★★★★☆

Sooz bounds onto the stage and takes you back to December 31^st 1999, counting down to the millennium. She was 14 at the time, with butterfly hair-clips, and drenched in Impulse body-spray. She explains that this is a show about new beginnings, fear of the future, excitement for the future. About how things change, but ultimately stay the same. At the turn of the millennium Sooz had dreams of becoming a global superstar and marrying her school crush. She knew exactly how to achieve those dreams: big boobs and her vocal talents. 

Her observations on topics like rom-coms, the family computer and Napster were hilarious and nostalgic. A real treat for a millennial audience. Sooz is not stuck in the past though, and anyone who knows her from Twitter will be aware of her sharp political takes, some of which feature in her show as well. Some of the crowd’s biggest belly laughs came from her commentary on the monarchy.

One thing I wasn’t expecting is that Sooz has pipes (she really can sing), and the moments that she chooses to use them are impressive. Her performance of Zadok the Priest persuaded me that her contention (that it’s the perfect song) is absolutely correct.

With clever integration of video clips and images throughout (keeping you engaged), the crescendo of the show comes from an encounter with Sooz’s 14-year-old self. It’s funny and yet touching, and one aspect of this that stood out to me is how little tenderness the experience of being a teenage girl is usually given in the media: Teenage girls and their thoughts and interests are commonly treated with an attitude that veers on contempt, but Sooz does not do this. The fears we had when we were younger probably didn’t become a reality, and the dreams that we had most likely changed, but our younger selves would nonetheless be proud of how far we have come. So hike up your boob tube, zip up your hoodie, and step back in time with Sooz and her warm-hug-of-a-show.