An about-to-be-nun takes to the stage at a comedy club. She just needs to make a point about that last joke. The one about a priest and a nun. Then there’s the friar and the nun. There’s a lot in that one and she really needs some help with processing. She’ll see if she can be edgy. She’s actually really on edge. And there are some very good reasons why…
In a Just the Tonic’s Caves space, in classic stand-up comedy style, supplied simply with a stool, a microphone and a drink, Moira McAuliffe delivers on the humour with a cheeky awareness and a whole lot to say about men’s roles in women’s lives, religious indoctrination, and just how far becoming aware of what’s going on around you can – or can’t – get you.
McAuliffe’s fascinating approach draws parallels between her life and what happens to the character Isabella in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. This character – here very sweetly dressed in a way that proves gently versatile – clearly speaks to McAuliffe a lot and is well portrayed, showing naivete, vulnerability and layered nuance. Isabella’s story comes across loud and clear, with Shakespeare’s words providing a few lines, along with the show’s title. McAuliffe shifts between Isabella and her own persona of Moira, allowing for additional context, as well as insights, social commentary, reflections well-grounded in experience and a lot of pithy, point-making humour.
Occasionally, the archness of Moira’s delivery can feel over-played, and the points she makes seem over-explanatory, having been clear already in her portrayal of Isabella. That said, McAuliffe engages, entertains and sometimes provokes her audience, drawing – right from a deliberately discomforting start – attention, surprise, curiosity, and empathy from her viewers.
If you’re looking for well-grounded, personal experience, feminist thought expressed with energetic humour, and a fine portrayal of a Shakespearean heroine – or indeed, simply for some fun and thoughtful entertainment, well performed – check out SLAG Productions’ To Whom Should I Complain, and see if this is a question you can answer.
To Whom Should I Complain runs until 11th August at Just the Tonic at the Caves with tickets available at https://www.justthetonic.com/
Reviewer: Danielle Farrow
Reviewed: 3rd August 2025
North West End UK Rating: