Sophie McCartney is over halfway through her massive Nationwide tour, and I was fortunate enough to be gifted a ticket for her London date at the Bloomsbury Theatre.
Before Sophie comes on to the stage, loud dance music is pumped through the auditorium along with a short video reel with clips from the 90s and 00s playing. The audience is singing along and already laughing at the images. Ahhh, Karl Kennedy, super hunk from the ’90s Neighbours’ cast, I hear audience members sigh! The tone for the night is set – it’s going to be a nostalgic visit to our youth’s exploits, including Maddog 20/20, satin outfits, and wide belts right up to the day-to-day coping methods of motherhood in our late 30s and early 40s
As Sophie comes onto the stage, to loud clapping a cheering, she looks a vision in her over-the-knee, silver-heeled boots and a sparkling pink dress (with pockets!). She looks fantastic, to use her words, too young to be over 40!
What follows is 2 hours (minus a short interval) of hilarious laugh-out-loud comedic storytelling, which has the audience screaming and clapping and laughing with resounding recognition.
We all know that comedy is subjective; however, in my and my +1’s opinion, Sophie is a consummate professional, her performance is slick, her storytelling is on point and her audience interaction works well. My +1 even said she would happily come again tomorrow if Sophie wasn’t in Shrewsbury!
Both my friend and I laughed loudly, in fact very loudly from start to finish. For us, there wasn’t a joke that didn’t land well, in fact, there were so many knowing smiles to each other throughout the show – at one point I even took the bottle of Gaviscon from my handbag and raised it, toasting her gag about women with Gaviscon in their bags!
Now Sophie isn’t for everyone, in my estimation the audience was 95% millennial mum’s who have found Sophie through Tik Tok or her parenting podcast, books – so were already fans before she started to talk, however, I, ashamed to say, hadn’t heard of her, nor am I a millennial, but I laughed so much I instantly followed her on every social platform on the bus ride home!
Come back to London, Sophie and do a residency, there are a lot of friends I want to take to see you!
Highly recommend the show, especially if you lived through the 90s.
Review by Faye Stockley
Recently kicked out of club 18-30, a new decade now beckons and she DOES NOT BELIEVE IT. Tackling her perimenopausal panic with denial, delirium, and a shot of tequila – desperate for a mad night out), this mum of three, and optimistic raver, is by no means down and out – she’s up and in… watching Netflix. Grab your glow sticks and thermals and join Sophie as she embarks on life’s next big chapter with sequins, snorty laughs, and a pair of killer orthopaedic heels.
SOPHIE McCARTNEY: ONE FOOT IN THE RAVE
Bloomsbury Theatre, 3 May 2025
UK tour continues to 10 October 2025
