Twin Peaks

Review by: Paul Towers, 19/2/19

Twin Peaks by Mandy Tootill

Upstairs @ The Western, 19 February 2019

“facing breast cancer with a quip and a filthy joke.”

Throughout Leicester Comedy Festival Upstairs at The Western has hosted a whole raft of shows that highlight mental health issues but Twin Peaks is all about one woman’s fight with breast cancer. And what is the best medicine? Laughter.

Mandy Tootill felt a lump 10 years ago while watching Coronation Street (the details only bear repeating on a stage!). She has now been in remission for 10 years but those intervening years saw the horror and humiliation of chemotherapy, extreme weight loss (not something she regrets) and the inevitable hair loss. The benefit, of course, is that she now has the perky breasts of a 20 year old just as she stumbles into premature menopause brought on my her treatment.

Fortunately her partner is an NHS nurse and that, as she recounts with glee, is like having a hot line to NHS Direct when it comes to needing a medical opinion.

Many women would crumble before the onslaught of cancer, but not Mandy. She faced it full on with humour. As she says, you either laugh or cry and she chose to laugh.

Listening to Ms Tootill smacking cancer in the face with a quip and a filthy joke makes you walk away with the assertion that, should you ever be unfortunate enough to follow in her footsteps, you could, hopefully, battle through in the same in-your-face manner.

Check out her website for further opportunities to catch this savvy Manc on tour.

www.comedy-festival.co.uk

www.mandytootillcomedy.com

Upstairs at The Western http://upstairsatthewestern.com/
First published on Western Gazette