Sooz Kempner has recently been announced as being involved with a new Doctor Who multiplatform project in a sneaky trailer clip. The impression is that her character is askew with the world yet working within it towards her own goals, an impression that Playstation exemplifies engagingly.

Playstation is Kempner’s debut tour, and a fond look back at her childhood, complete with ambitions, talents, and starting with the first – and possibly only, she admits – point at which she felt like a grown up, when she purchased her Sony Playstation. 

Filled with stories and passions of her seven- and 13-year-old selves, as well as glimpses of life as 36-year-old Sooz during the pandemic living with her Mum, this feels like a well crafted memoir. It’s easy- and confidently paced, even if the pacing is more around the tale than the frequency of punchlines – like a Jackanory after a couple of shots, enjoying making her brother squirm with her cleverness, and performance winning out.

There’s a glimpse into that shared sibling bedroom relationship, mixing love with lols and knockabout banter. A relationship that informs the rest of her comedy aptly. It belies the mixed background she speaks of – one foot in privilege and the other at an underachieving comprehensive – leading to an unwavering confidence that won’t let her back down on anything, played to humorous effect with her childhood gymnastic Olympic goals and enduring passions. Kempner is likeable, even as she finds herself in fights on Twitter with semi-provocative punchlines. 

There’s good humour and solid engagement throughout Playstation, showcasing Kempner’s writing, singing and impression skills, and that is exactly what it feels like – a showcase. Kempner would make a fantastic subject for one of the old ‘An Audience With…’ television shows, a raconteur and curator of her own choice exhibits. As much as her stories may knock the norm off kilter, it’s with a gentle ITV1 evening censorship-level steading hand. She can comfort-push Sky News, but her live audiences are perfectly at ease.

Playstation is a warm and personal show, connecting with a generation of gamers who saw Lara Croft’s acrobatics as the height of graphic rendering. It doesn’t kick down doors into new territory, but it does leave a smile and lift spirits on a chilly Thursday night. 

Sooz Kempner info and tour details here.

Three stars