Sara Barron: Enemies Closer

Critically lauded standup Sara Barron is bringing her characteristic blend of dark and acerbic wit, unflinching honesty, a winning persona and an astonishing joke rate to The Bristol Improv Theatre on Saturday, November 13.

Building her career as a writer and host of New York live storytelling institution The Moth in her native US, Barron met her husband, radio presenter and co-host of the ‘Reasons to be Cheerful’ podcast Geoff Lloyd, and subsequently moved to London where the couple now live.

It was there that she was drawn back to standup, having first tried it in her early 20s and pronounced it “the most awful thing I’ve ever done”.

This time, Barron had an entirely different experience. She brought her debut comedy hour For Worse to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2018, for which she won a Newcomer nomination.

Soon making waves within the comedy fraternity as an unmissable act, her star has been rising far and fast ever since.

Bristol 24/7 talks to Barron as she nears the end of her 30 date first UK standup tour, and finds her as delightfully sardonic off stage as she is on it.

Hello! How are you?

“Oh, yes, fine, thank you very much for asking. It’s a brisk autumn day, and it’s not rainy. And that fact alone – sunshine?! In the autumn?! – can do a lot to lift my mood.”

What’s keeping you up at night these days?

“My husband’s snoring. These days, if I’m not sleeping, it’s because my husband is making the inhuman noises of some middle-earth creature who’s using the power of his snores to propel him across a continent.”

Which of our friends, or enemies, should we be bringing to the show?

“Okay, so I got on stage the other night and did a little crowd work to kick things off, and got talking to an American woman in the front row. I said, ‘Well, lovely to have you! What brought you over?’ and in what I SWEAR TO GOD was one of the most hostile tones I’ve ever heard, she went, ‘Why do you think?’ Honestly, the vibe was like she was an angry teen and I was the hated step-mum asking questions that she didn’t like. She then spent the remainder of the show, in the front row, looking at her phone.

“If your friend/enemy is this woman, don’t bring her. But she’s an extreme character. Anyone else, I’ll be delighted by.”

This tour has obviously been subject to a long delay due to the pandemic; how do you feel about the material now? Does it feel fresh, coming back to it after the break?

It did, actually. This show has very little in the way of pandemic material, because it was written almost entirely pre-pando – and my instinct (and my hope!) is that that really actually works for audiences right now. They seem to me to be thrilled to talk about anything other than the pandemic!

In what ways have your comedic preoccupations shifted in the intervening time?

I don’t think this reflects well on me, particularly, but the truth is that I don’t think they have! I’m still amused/annoyed by the same variety of stuff, and still bored by the same variety of other stuff. That’s talking in terms of topics/fodder for material. Beyond that, I’ve got much better at listening back to audio recordings of gigs and shows I do, so I’ve started to really pay attention to various verbal tics and crutches – ‘right?’, ‘okay?’, ‘like’, etc – and I’m working non-stop to eradicate those.

How would you characterise your relationship with standup since you first tried it in your early 20s?

A tortuous mistress!

Sara Barron – photo: Karla Gowlett

And what about your relationship with your family? How important is candour to your style of comedy?

What’s the difference between candour and truth? That’s what I’m thinking about now. I think truth – or to be more specific about it, I think having the ring of truth – is hugely important. One of my biggest dislikes when watching comedy myself is when I think, ‘Did that actually happen?’ If you can tell it didn’t – if it’s some bit of word-play, a pull-back-and-reveal that obviously doesn’t hinge on an honest piece of human behaviour – it rarely keeps my interest or makes me laugh. It might be clever, but – for me – it never feels funny.

Are you able to achieve something like a ‘flow state’ on stage, and can you describe how it feels for you when you’re in it?

Sometimes, yes. And it’s probably best described as a) the absence of all fear, + b) the feeling of total control.

Who do you draw on for cultural inspiration at the moment?

“Chris Rock, Nish Kumar and Maria Bamford.”

Finally, what do you think your audience thinks of you, and is it important?

“It’s about walking a fine line, isn’t it? So, like, it’s a little important, and you’re up sh*t’s creek if you ignore what your audience thinks entirely. But equally you’re doomed if you care too much. As for what mine thinks of me, I don’t know. I want them to think I’m a hilarious, powerhouse genius, but I’m unconvinced that all of them leave with exactly that impression!”

Sara Barron: Enemies Closer is at The Bristol Improv Theatre on Saturday, November 13. Tickets are available at www.berksnest.com.

Main photo: Karla Gowlett

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