Comedy review: Sindhu Vee: Sandhog, Berk’s Nest @ The Old Hairdressers, Glsagow

SINDHU Vee came relatively late and recently to stand-up, yet this exceptional debut from the mother-of-three, who’s been married for 20 years, has actually been decades in development, an unvarnished, warts-and-all portrait of a marriage and family life. Despite the familiar subject matter, she nevertheless offers a rare and brutally candid appraisal of the battle of the sexes and the complex organism that is a long-term relationship.

Vee is original and offers a rare and brutally candid appraisal of the battle of the sexes

Sindhu Vee: Sandhog, Berk’s Nest @ The Old Hairdressers, Glasgow ****

Paradoxically, a big part of Vee’s appeal is that she isn’t overly concerned with being likeable, sharing some instances where she’s been wilfully cruel to her children and sought to irritate and undermine her husband. Hers is not a sentimental view of love. And she skilfully deconstructs some of the cliches around it, offering instead some more pragmatic, utilitarian but imaginative ideas for preserving the family unit. Unlike some jaded circuit journeyman comics however, she leaves you in no doubt that she does genuinely love her spouse and offspring, carefully seeding brief glimpses of her affection, as with the unlikely origin story of her Danish husband’s pet name for her that gives the show its title.

Highly perceptive on the enduring stories we tell ourselves about love, Vee’s stage presence and unapologetic conviction dares you to find fault with her reasoning. Strikingly original and ambitious, Sandhog is a tremendous first show that has no right to be as accomplished as it is. - JAY RICHARDSON