Performing at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, beloved sitcom star and Taskmaster favourite Aisling Bea delivers a commanding and hilariously daft performance in ‘Older Than Jesus,’ her highly anticipated debut stand-up tour. While the title suggests a contemplation of turning 33 – the age Jesus reportedly reached – Bea, now 42, tackles this theme with her characteristic playful absurdity, proving some plans take a little longer to gestate.
Despite her extensive success in television, this 75-minute set marks Bea’s first foray into a full-scale stand-up tour, yet there’s no hint of a rookie. She’s in vibrant, fun-loving form, expertly weaving together observations prompted by her recent “accidental pregnancy” and the realities of becoming a mother. However, listeners expecting a mature, reflective take on parenthood will be delightfully mistaken. Bea remains as endearingly self-involved and wonderfully ridiculous as ever.
Her performance is a parade of cartoonish egotism and a sharp awareness of her own absurdities. Audiences are treated to tales ranging from her childhood attempts at crafting DIY Dairylea from secondhand “bodies of Christ” to her wild antics at a Take That movie wrap party. She even recounts a memorable stint “moonlighting” as a dad during her sister’s antenatal class. Bea perfectly captures the humorous disparity between her imagined “glamourpuss” persona – envisioning herself curating the playlist for her own C-section – and the less-than-glamorous realities, like throwing out her back attempting a “slut drop.” It’s a show that gleefully embraces immaturity, proving that while she might be older than Jesus, Aisling Bea’s comedic spirit is eternally youthful.