Written and performed by: Josie Long
Since her last full tour, stand-up comedian Josie Long has had two children, moved to Glasgow and there’s been a pandemic. She’s excited to be back on stage again, full of stories about her new life in the utopian republic of Scotland; but where one might have expected a show based around baby anecdotes, Re-Enchantment is still very much an urgent, politically-focused show, and most importantly, it’s very funny.
Long has a bounding, enthusiastic stage presence and this a show that is at once polished and self-effacing. She thanks us for coming along with her on some of the more frivolous flights of fancy; knowingly lame running gags somehow remain funny as they return throughout like thematic glue. There’s real craft and range on display here with intellectual jokes about political ideology happily sitting side by side with funny things her children have said. The most strikingly skillful thing about it however is how densely the jokes are packed in. You never feel like you’re waiting for a punchline because her delivery of the whole thing is full of silly asides, character acting and cheeky one-liners.
It’s clear that she’s in a good place both mentally and geographically, which creates an infectious joyousness. She left London, where she had lived all her life, after the 2019 election results which made her avowed socialism a dirty word again. Glasgow in comparison – or at least the part she has found herself in – is a radical haven, where she has only met one Tory (the pest control man). Indeed she jokes about being the bougiest one in her circle of friends, still in the London habit of taking a cab where her eco-conscious new friends cycle everywhere and ACAB is the more commonly invoked epithet.
Long is not afraid to voice her political beliefs, to the extent of calling Rishi Sunak’s leadership campaign his audition to be Britain’s Next Top Cunt. It’s the kind of vehement leftist comedy that was perhaps last prominently seen in response to Thatcherism. In Brighton she’s going to have an easy ride where this subject matter is concerned, but it may not play as well in the less liberal corners of the country on her tour. Though she says she’s trying her best to be “good vibes only”, she does blithely label certain sectors of society scabs, including Ring security camera owners, David Walliams apologists, landlords, the people of Kent, and horses. However, through the dexterity of her comedic charm, she manages to stay just on the right side of preachy. It’s a bold, uncompromising approach that is refreshing and timely, and quite overtly polemical at points.
From silly skits Long switches in a beat to serious points about the current state of British society. There are hard truths about recent bills passed limiting rights to protest and the Covert Human Intelligence Bill that exempts undercover police officers from being punished for crimes committed in the line of duty. Her message is one of hope. Living in Glasgow has reminded her that she can still be a part of a community where she feels like she is making a difference, as evidenced in May 2021 when protestors forced UK Immigration Enforcement to release two detained men back into their community. This playful show is jammed full of laughs and represents Long’s laudable rallying cry for people to be “Re-Enchanted” with radical politics and leave with hearts full of hope for change.
Reviewed on May 28 2023
