A scouse woman in a glittery headband roams the crowd as we get settled for Rachel Fairburn’s new show. We’re in a motivational seminar about “living authentically as a boss bitch” and aggressively vulnerable guru Daphne claims that, despite a messy breakup and some borderline criminal behaviour on her part, thanks to manifesting, things are going really well for her actually. Daphne is the first of seven characters wrapped up in a neat concept, in a fun show that pushes Fairburn out of her comedy comfort zone.
Fairburn made her name in wonderfully acerbic standup across multiple fringe shows and Live at the Apollo. Side Eye is her first character-comedy show, but anyone who’s seen those past shows will know she’s a skilled impressionist, bringing characters from her own world to life in her standup routines.
