Review – Ladynerd

In the current cultural fascination with nerd culture and the people within it, it can be easy for people to think that nerdy women are something of a new phenomenon. This is, of course, utterly ridiculous. So, enter Keira Daley with her aptly-named show Ladynerd. With a mixture of standup, song, storytelling and sketches, Keira and her musical offsider Mark Chamberlain give the audience a very brief account of a number of historical ladynerds.

The biggest danger with a setup like this is how easily simply laying out facts about these women would turn in to an hour-long lecture, but Kiera and Max neatly avoid this by interspersing pre-recorded audio and video elements, along with the occasional cabaret style song, to keep the dry factual sections bite-sized. It’s a remarkably effective, and clearly highly-polished, structure.

Both performers are hugely energetic and their clear enthusiasm is highly infectious, making for a captivating performance. Because of this, the small and seemingly unconnected audience participation element seems out of place. There’s really no reason to employ pantomime tricks for engagement when the audience genuinely is intent on what you’re saying.

That incredibly small gripe aside, Ladynerd is a fascinating show with a fun feel and occasionally surprising content, and the admittedly tiny room of the Tuxedo Cat’s ‘Jackal’ space plays directly in to the passionate, friendly, delivery of the material. For a surprisingly informative comedy cabaret show, Ladynerd is a fine choice.