Esther Manito: Hell Hath No Fury – Soho Theatre

Kills, crushes and conquers.

Esther Manito is a one-woman band crafting potions filled with laughing gas. She pulls a violin to tenderly pull strings of one’s heart and then pulls the trumpet out right the next second. Her physicality and character recreations are remarkable. The sixty minutes comedy set will have you laughing so much that you will be crying. She quips about the challenges women face in navigating life but serves it like a margarita. Shaken and not stirred and with salt.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned goes the proverb telling us about a woman who has been rejected by a man who can be ferociously angry and vindictive. Esther Manito is a woman at the top of her form, she has been able to rise in power by her astute observations placing parallelly her lived experiences, her identity, her realities. She OWNS her anger but also crafts it like fine glass with funny shapes for ripples of laughter and only fragile egos splintering across the room.

She loves drama and flourishes it on stage for a convivial feast to the senses. In the midst of it all she slips into the realities of women’s health being named countless labels but seldom with solutions to their pain. Being Lebanese and Muslim in comedy above 40 she does not hold back from the diversity of curve balls life throws in from being stuck with an absorbing pad to memory fog. She is seamlessly able to create a tapestry of reflections of the different set of rules that seem to design women’s choices.  From our collective apprehensions on the late-night tube to frustration of motherhood. She is Funny and truthful, and her Jokes resonated with the mixed crowd of men and women. Perfect for a date night or the night out in town, Esther Manito’s serving sixers out of the park.

Reviewer: Anisha Pucadyil

Reviewed: 18th August 2023

North West End UK Rating: