Francesca Martinez – What the **** is Normal?

This perceptive show has serious points to make about the assumptions generated by the media and society concerning 'normality', yet it is never po-faced. It does, however, start with an illuminating joke about poo.

Francesca Martinez, of Extras and Grange Hill fame, zips through a rigorous hour of reflections on life with cerebral palsy. The aforementioned poo gag is an astute opener, setting up a bracing opposition between the thoughtful content of the show and an engagingly offbeat delivery.

A nearly full Stand V is pretty much transfixed from the off, as Martinez releases line after line of observant wit on first love, the mixed experience of school life and the infuriating nature of some aspects of the media. Swirling venom is reserved for the latter before Martinez seamlessly restores an aura of warmth with the poetry finale.

What the **** is normal? I don't leave with a neatly packaged answer. All I know is that an intelligent, charismatic comic has challenged my thinking on the subject.