When it comes to empowerment, Jaleelah Galbraith believes today’s feminists should look to Sense and Sensibility instead of Single Ladies. In her debut stand-up show It Is A Truth, Galbraith covers speed dating, school girl crushes and Bridget Jones to explain how Austen’s comments on life for women still ring true today. Over a lively and entertaining hour of comedy, she takes us through the highs and lows of dating in this relatable and amusing performance.
Galbraith’s anxieties and experiences are highly relatable
Galbraith offers consistent witty and laugh-out-loud moments. With her performative and expressive style of comedy, her life’s most embarrassing incidents are made all the more entertaining (and cringe-worthy). She’s clearly a skilled storyteller. Her material never sounds recited and carries a light spontaneity throughout the performance. Galbraith’s anxieties and experiences are highly relatable, which she acknowledges with gentle asides to the audience. Thanks to her likeability, this show feels like a friendly conversation that we are very much included in.
Though her relentless energy is engaging, Galbraith’s pace of speech could use some relaxation. At certain points, the performance becomes a little exhausting to keep up with. Further variation in speed would allow the audience to catch even more of her humorous remarks. Along with this issue in pace, it sometimes becomes challenging to follow the rate of tangents that Galbraith’s comedy dives into. Her comments on Austen are profound, entertaining and, quite simply, the highlight of this show. She uncovers the flaws of Austen’s heroines to effectively demonstrate how they relate to our own. Unfortunately, these smart reflections on the author lack full presence in the performance and become almost buried under a wealth of additional themes, ranging from Harry Potter to the layout of shopping malls.
At It Is A Truth, audiences will laugh in both shock and recognition. Galbraith’s comedy is observant and, though its conclusion feels somewhat disjointed, the final message is positive. If this debut proves anything, it’s that Galbraith knows what women want to hear.
