Cally Beaton: Invisible

• Lauren McKay
• 6 August 2019

credit: Matt Crockett

A storytelling show about persistence, ageing and battling intolerance

Spending an hour with Cally Beaton is like hanging out with a friend who has a really great story about every possible subject of conversation. This show was inspired by two events. The first was when French 'B-list celebrity' Yann Moix described women over 50 as being invisible. And the second was a near-death experience in Iceland (the country, not the shop: although the latter has its appeal, too, as Beaton points out).

Over the course of the show, Beaton riffs on the process of ageing and the menopause, the trials and tribulations of being a single mother in her 50s, the London dating scene, and the battle to prove Moix wrong; but also to prove to herself that she's anything but invisible. That experience in Iceland changed Beaton's life, and she retells the story and the events running up to it, with charm, warmth and a hefty pinch of self-aware humour.

The show is infused with feminism, including an awesome tirade against the question 'can women be funny?' Beaton is good with running gags, and her engaging storytelling style walks a fine line between humour and sadness as she processes what it means to be invisible, and how she overcame that. Beaton's mantra is 'nevertheless, she persisted', and you leave the show with the feeling that she will continue to do just that.

Assembly George Square Studios, until 26 Aug (not 13), 5.10pm, £9–£11 (£8–£10).