Review: SARAH KEYWORTH: MY EYES ARE UP HERE, Soho Theatre

“Top off in a Sainsbury’s . . . That’s the dream, isn’t it, lads?”

Sarah Keyworth: My Eyes Are Up Here begins with Keyworth talking about their feelings on turning 30, a milestone birthday that they recently celebrated. They talk about different ways to celebrate a 30th birthday, telling the audience about how one of their friends celebrated with a foursome, leading to a funny tangent about the logistics of a lesbian foursome. 

Keyworth, who goes by “Keys” with their friends, identifies as an “emotionally unstable nonbinary,” with pronouns of “there/there” (one of my favourite jokes in the show). They come from a loving and accepting family, as illustrated by Keyworth’s mum making them the classic rainbow cake for their 30th birthday, claiming that it is “the best thing I’ve ever made” to Keyworth and their brother. The main focus of the show is Keyworth’s elective double mastectomy and their gender, exploring their relationship with family members and friends. 

One of the things that Keyworth is amazed by is how older generations can still be so accepting of things that are different than what they grew up with, loving the next generation for who they want to be. There’s a delightful bit in which Keyworth talks about a 85-year-old French woman named Joy who gave them their first short haircut (Joy also owns a donkey, but that’s a story for another time!). 

Along with talking about their gender, Keyworth talks about their ADHD, with a hilarious audience moment in which Keyworth went “I have undiagnosed . . .” and the audience calling out “ADHD,” which lead to Keyworth laughing and saying, “You know the word!” They have a brilliant metaphor for ADHD, comparing it to a glowing orb in the forest, following it without knowing where they are going or why they are following the orb.

One of the funniest bits of the show involves Keyworth recounting a “themdo” trip they went on with a group of friends, which included inviting a male stripper to caravan in Devon and heckling him with questions about protein as well as having in-depth conversations on gender with Beatrice, the toilet attendant in a straight club the group decide to visit to experience the “culture” of straight people. 

While there is not much crowd work in the show, there is a great section in which Keyworth asks audience members to tell them about a “good man” in their life, leading to Keyworth telling a story about how one of their friends had a man, when they were sharing a bed together, ask, “How would you like to be murdered?”.

There is a more sombre point towards the end of the show in which Keyworth brings up their relationship with their mother, particularly in terms of their elective double mastectomy and how it will affect their life. There is also a bit in which they discuss the importance of their last name and how it has shaped them as a human. They make some interesting points on gender generalisation versus individuality, which ties back to their own story and how they relate to the world. 

Sarah Keyworth: My Eyes Are Up Here is a funny show with a heartwarming ending. Keyworth has some truly fantastic one-liners that, when mixed with a sweet story, make for a lovely hour. 

Sarah Keyworth: My Eyes Are Up Here runs until 9 March at Soho Theatre.

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