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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
Entertainment
James Martin McCarthy

REVIEW: Mammy Banter's Serena Terry has a bright future ahead on the stand-up circuit

If you are anything like me, you have spent a good chunk of the last few years logging on to TikTok to catch up on the latest antics of our favourite fictional six-year-old, Jimmy, his infamous interactions with his teacher and the wider dynamic of the Mammy Banter family.

Stepping out on to the Waterfront Hall stage for her first ever live stand-up show, ahead of her debut at the Edinburgh Fringe later this year, Serena Terry was full of life and if she was nervous, she didn't show it.

If you go with the expectation of seeing Terry perform as her characters, then you will be mistaken as not only do these require the use of social media filters (a point which is addressed during the set), Serena is the star of this show and proves that she can be just as funny without the skits.

Read more: The Beauty Queen of Leenane review: Show will have you feeling a rollercoaster of emotions

I must admit, I didn't know what to expect from Serena's stand-up because I was unsure if she would lean into the characters which brought her fame.

However, I was more than pleasantly surprised to find her own comedy even more hilarious than her social media skits.

With everything from the current heatwave we are experiencing, the menopause, the 95 per cent rule and even how her father drunkenly misspelt her middle name when registering her birth, Socially Needier will have you laughing for hours after the curtain has gone down.

Terry isn't afraid to pull punches with her comedy and when it comes to discussing issues such as iPad parenting and how YouTube is inadvertently Americanising our children to her own mental health, she tells it like it is but packed with Derry wit and humour.

Watching how Serena captivated the audience and held their attention despite going way over her time in the first act is a testament to the tour de force that she is and it is a delight to see someone make a career out of bringing joy to so many via social media.

There is no doubt that some outside of Northern Ireland may struggle to understand a Derry accent; however we can thank Lisa Magee's Derry Girls for opening doors to the likes of Terry to take the North West humour to audiences outside these shores.

While Serena is set to perform another sold out show at the Waterfront Hall later this month, if you get the opportunity to see her at the Fringe you won't be disappointed.

If her next tour is as funny as Socially Needier, Serena Terry is set for international stardom.

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