Juno Birch: Probed, Soho Theatre review
I do love a drag show. Over the years, I’ve brought many friends along to share the thrill of the unexpected and to celebrate those who proudly and boldly push against our so-called societal norms.
As we headed over to the Soho Theatre on the 5 November I realised how accidentally fortuitous the date was. Election results had just come in from the US and in my humble opinion it wasn’t a good outcome. I was feeling a little bit down and I knew this show would be the perfect antidote. It felt like a subtle rebellion, too, given the anti-trans rhetoric often espoused by the winning political party.
Juno Birch: Probed at Soho Theatre. Image credit Natascha Milsom.
Running through 16 November, Juno Birch, an outlandish blue alien is performing her brand-new standup comedy show Probed. She is a British comedian and artist from Manchester, who rose to fame performing professionally in late 2018 and has built a cult following on social media and YouTube. Her last show toured in the UK, Australia and North America.
Probed is a no frills show staged simply with a tall round cocktail table adorned with a hamburger mug that Juno sips throughout her set. Despite feeling slightly under the weather, she tackles the performance, Lemsip in hand
Her unique drag aesthetic is unmistakable: blue skin, marigold dishwashing gloves with painted on red nails and a psychedelic 60’s style trouser and waistcoat combo. With her towering, choppy blonde beehive she triggers a flashback to Myra Hindley’s mug shot – something she acknowledges as part of her act.
There are familiar flashes of Lily Savage and Jennifer Coolidge in her stage persona. The show is a combination of observational humour, lip-synching, bad taste jokes and audience banter. One of the show’s highlights is the appearance of Juno’s “daughter” Judith Louise - a very small prop doll with similarly coiffed hair, though less put-together. Juno taps Judith on the head a couple of times with the microphone dubbing it “botox” which explains why herdaughter looks so young. Her enthusiastic lip-synced rendition of “Big Spender” (my personal karaoke song of choice) was cleverly timed to incorporate her crying child. A fun moment, although the sound could have been louder for better effect.
I am not sure everyone will be as lucky, but the Soho Theatre audience that night was certainly a highlight for me. A delightful mix of ages and a spectrum of genders, Juno drewout some great banter and interactions from them. At one point an audience member on the balcony is recruited to babysit so can continue her show. Juno’s vetting banter with the potential babysitter showed her excellent off the cuff skills.
Juno’s humour also incorporated a personal touch which was engaging. She shared stories of coming out at 14, her father’s attempts to make a footballer out of her and the trauma sharing her birthday with Christmas and how it just doesn’t feel right having to give anyone a gift on their own birthday.
While the humour wasn’t groundbreaking and lacked some of the bigger laugh out loud moments, Juno’s charisma and charm kept us consistently amused. The hour passed quickly with steady chuckles, making for a camp, funny and enjoyable evening overall. The Soho Theatre with its three performance spaces and vibrant bar for before and afters, remains a fantastic spot for a night out to discover new talent in a wonderful selection of shows.
Date: 4 -16 November 2024. Location: 21 Dean Street, London W1D 3NE. Price: from £23 including fees. Book now.
Instagram: @junobirch YouTube: @JunoBirch X: @JunoBirch TikTok: @junobirch8
Review by Natascha Milsom
