Maureen Younger

Gigging Down Under

Having recently come back from gigging in Australia, I am happy to confirm that Australia is far too far away. Moreover, I found out too late that the secret to long haul flights is to divide the journey up and stop over somewhere. I also found out too late that my chair reclined – 13 […]

The Big D & How l Dealt With It

2023 saw me have to deal with depression, anxiety and stress. As a result, I had eczema so severe that it covered most of my face. That is not a great look at the best of times, even more so, if like me, you perform on stage; are the centre of attention and well-lit (fortunately, […]

My Holiday Home

My go-to place is Vienna. I’ve been there twice this year already and plan to go back again in a couple of months’ time. It helps that I can stay with a mate who is the hostess with the mostess. Welcome presents await you as you arrive; she remembers what you like to drink and […]

The Upside of Being a Support Act

Being a support act seems to be a rite of passage for some comedians; that first step before you take the plunge and go on tour yourself. It showcases you to a bigger audience, although there is always the danger, particularly if the comedian you are supporting is a major star, that you walk on […]

The Big C

I’ve had better years. Who knew when I started depending on live comedy to earn a living that years later it wouldn’t be that compatible during a pandemic; then last November a new neighbour moved upstairs who has made my life a living hell: you try living under a construction site for several months during […]

Regeneration – Pat Barker

Set in 1917, army psychiatrist William Rivers main task is to ‘regenerate’ the shell-shocked soldiers sent to him at Craiglockhart Hospital. It’s the perfect Catch-22 situation. In order to be sent back to the front, Rivers has to sign the men off as mentally fit to be there, but would anyone in their right mind […]

Construction Neighbour Nightmares

In November 2020 a property developer bought the flat above me and proceeded to make my life hell for months on end. As always hindsight is a wonderful thing. Should you too find yourself in a similar situation, here are some of the things I wish I’d known back then. Please note I’m not legally […]

The Other Mother

Above all, The Other Mother by Jen Brister is a fun read. If anyone can make ranting a comedic art then Jen Brister is your woman. Secondly, it is refreshingly down to earth: no sanctimonious, idealised Perfect Mother scenario here: far from it. Jen’s take is that parenting is hard; and you will get it […]

Emilia

Emilia by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm is a fine piece of feminist theatre, a call-to-arms, which also happens to be informative, funny, thought-provoking, sad and life-affirming, and if you’re a woman, highly relatable. The Emilia in question is the daughter of immigrants, the ‘Dark Lady’ of Shakespeare’s sonnets, brought up to be a courtesan at Elizabeth […]

The Memory of Water

In this play by Shelagh Stephenson, three squabbling sisters reunite for their mother’s funeral in this comic tale of inter-family relations. The play underscores how subjective memories can be: different people remembering different things and/or remembering the same events but often differently. The three sisters in question are Mary, a doctor, desperate for her married […]

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