Joanna Neary

It's often a mistake for a comedian to pretend to be nervous as part of their act. It's seems like a fertile furrow for comedy when you're in front of the bathroom mirror, but when you're onstage with the lights in your face, fear is your enemy. Every now and then you'll see a comedian go down in flames because their joke has opened the door to the paralyzing feeling of terror that causes most professionals to knock back at least a scotch or two before heading out on stage.

Joanna Neary has nerves of steel. This became apparent when, wide eyed and shaking like a victim of the palsy, she stuttered through a filthy presentation on the relative merits of sex toys. Crazy it certainly was, but the illusion was complete, and marked the start of a stream of comedic characters both offbeat and extreme.

Soon, the audience was buried under an avalanche of obscure invention, from 1930s flapper-girls, to dolphins to Bjork. A lot of it was very funny, and the other parts of it were carried by Neary's childlike, spaced-out personality – although it was sometimes hard to know if this was just one more character, or if we were seeing the real thing.

Either way, Neary delivers a unique comedy experience. It's a little like being trapped under an avalanche of the kind of fun that teeters on the edge of madness. Neary has talent and charm, and an evening spent in her company will be one you remember for quite some time.