This review first appeared in the Evening Standard here.

If you require proof that stand-up can find humour in unlikely places look no further than Felicity Ward. In What If There Is No Toilet? the gangly Australian discusses her irritable bowel syndrome and fear of not being able to get to the lavatory on time. It is much funnier than it sounds.

Ward has always appeared nervy and now we know why. As she reveals in her trademark high-velocity delivery, she used to suffer panic attacks and would go to the bathroom four times an hour to avoid an embarrassing public “poonami”. Frankly it’s impressive that she can perform for the full 70 minutes without excusing herself.

While this issue forms the spine of the act, Ward opens things out, discussing various aspects of her battle with mental illness. She unearths the light side of depression, playfully dubbing the intrusive voice in her head “Beryl”. Weird things get her down, from hairless cats and German magicians to late night radio: “Music to have car accidents to.”

This confessional set is as personal as comedy gets. Ward is painfully truthful about how she has negotiated her way through her emotional minefield. While there is no cure, gradually she has emerged from the darkness and learnt how to manage her condition.

What could be downbeat is ultimately extremely upbeat, thanks to her zippy style and clownish physicality. In this era of oversharing she proves that there is no such thing as too much information if you are making people laugh. Moving, honest and gutbustingly funny.

More on Felicity Ward here.