Review: SOPHIE MCCARTNEY: ONE FOOT IN THE RAVE, Bloomsbury Theatre

“How cool did we think we were?”

Sophie McCartney: One Foot In The Rave opens with a montage of moments from McCartney’s childhood with “Forever Young” playing in the background. It’s a sweet moment that immediately transitions into rave music, setting the tone for the rest of the show as McCartney dances onto the stage to cheers from the audience. One Foot In The Rave focuses on McCartney entering her 40s, leaving behind what she considers “Club 18-30.” McCartney says that she is “too old to be young, but too young to be old,” trying to find her place in the world as a comedian who started later in life than others. 

From the start of the show, McCartney is aware of exactly who the majority of the audience is - millennial women. There are only a few men in the audience, most of whom McCartney assumes (probably correctly) have been brought to the show by their wives, and she welcomes them to the “viper’s nest.” One man sitting in the front row becomes McCartney’s main victim of the night, and she refers back to him whenever she needs a male reference point during her jokes. Most of the women in the audience have had quite a few drinks (encouraged by McCartney herself), which leads to some awkward callouts and full-on conversations during the performance, but it never reaches the point that McCartney has to stop the show. 

The majority of the show is allowing the audience to relate to moments in McCartney’s life, from girls’ night out changing from clubbing to eating and being attracted to hoof cleaners on Instagram (“He can clean my hoof out any day!”). McCartney tests the audience with an “ID Check” to ensure it’s mostly millennials, having them finish the lyrics to “Engine No. 9.” Moments like these went a bit over my head as a Gen Z American, but there are still plenty of great bits, regardless of the level of relatability. Surprisingly, there is no supporting act, but McCartney has enough content to fill the two hours, including the interval. The interval actually gives her some material, discussing the commandeering of the men’s toilets as the queue for the women’s toilets was too long. 

Quite a bit of One Foot In The Rave focuses on the changes that McCartney is going through in her 40s, including health anxiety (who knew sepsis and hangovers had such similar symptoms?) and planning for her own death. One section of the show is dedicated to McCartney’s frustrations with not only menopause but perimenopause. There is also a section on McCartney’s children, including her nine-year-old daughter, who is the embodiment of her mother’s intrusive thoughts and her twelve-year-old son, who is just starting to learn about sex. 

Age guidance on the Bloomsbury Theatre site is “TBC,” but just know that this is definitely not the show to bring your children to! There are quite a few references to McCartney being “ovulation horny” and some weird sex dreams she’s had, including a particularly entertaining one about having revenge sex with Michael Caine. In one particularly interesting moment of audience interaction, McCartney starts a Q&A with a woman about sexual fluids, awkwardly bringing the previously-mentioned male audience member into the conversation. There were a few sexual references that I found myself not knowing the exact details of, but being too afraid to search up after the show!

McCartney is an incredibly talented comedian who has an impressive level of energy, constantly moving around the stage. Her physicality is fantastic, especially for one bit where she imitates Edgar the Bug from Men in Black as a way of representing a woman after a night of clubbing. I also particularly love her style of misdirection, with a prime example being her referencing the “sad single person app” and then revealing it to be Deliveroo. 

A highlight of the show is when McCartney tells the audience about a holiday she took with fellow mums to Magaluf, describing how one forgets their children the instant the plane’s wheels leave the ground, allowing them to go absolutely wild. It’s a hilarious way to help bring the show to a close, with McCartney revealing some of the things she did while drunk with her friends, including what she believed to be a flirtatious moment with a young French man. There is a sombre part after, however, with McCartney stressing the importance of living every day to the fullest after going with a friend to a chemotherapy treatment centre. The show ends as it began, with a song, this time one that sums up the journey that the audience has been on with McCartney over the past two hours. 

Sophie McCartney: One Foot In The Rave is a great show that will be especially enjoyable for those in the particular demographic of women who grew up in the 90s. Quite a few jokes and references will go over the heads of everyone else, even though they will still have a lovely two hours. 

Sophie McCartney: One Foot In The Rave tours the UK and Ireland until 10 October.