Suzi keeps it Snappy for her hometown show
Portsmouth-born stand-up Suzi Ruffell returns for a hometown show at The New Theatre Royal tomorrow. Her new show, Snappy, is all about settling down (but not settling), becoming a mother (without becoming mumsy) and still worrying about everything – of course she is – have you seen the news?
Her last tour, Dance Like Everyone Is Watching received critical acclaim and she has also appeared on numerous primetime TV shows.
Parenthood has understandably made a big impact on Suzi and she is now mum to an ‘amazing’ three-year-old daughter.
‘I became a mum during the pandemic. I didn't really share the journey with anyone, as it's important that not everything is for the stage, or for public consumption on social media. Not for me anyway!
‘Being a parent makes you look at your parents in a different way, so there's the fun stuff which has happened with my mum and dad who often feature heavily in my standup, and the things that have come up post-becoming-a-mum which I wasn't really expecting, like being more anxious, worrying about the world, looking at the future, worrying about the state the world's in, and the world our children are going to inherit.
‘And it’s also about how becoming a parent makes you see the world in a bigger picture, and makes you look outside yourself. I've been very selfish for 10 years being on the road doing standup, and now, quite rightly, my wife and my baby are far more important than being a show off every night.’
It is important too for Suzi, as someone who is gay, for queer parenthood to be normalised.
‘Queer people of my generation, we didn't really see gay parents in the media. I just didn't know it was possible for me.
‘It's my choice to put myself on stage, not hers, so I won't talk about her specifics, but it's important for me to be onstage and say: “It's working, we're happy, we're a normal family.”’
As well as her standup and TV work, Suzi has two successful podcasts on her plate as well. Like Minded Friends is a weekly show which began in 2015 with her ‘dearest friend’ and fellow standup Tom Allen.
‘It’s us two catching up every week. We literally just talk about this, that and the other. Sometimes it's a gossip, sometimes it's sad, sometimes it's hilarious, sometimes it's really stupid, and we just try to given an honest reflection of our week.
‘It's a ridiculous idea for a podcast, but tens of thousands of people listen to every week. I can't believe it's a thing.’
Her other podcast, Out With Suzy Ruffell began during the first lockdown, where she interviews inspiring people from the LGBTQIA+ community.
‘It ended up being a real source of joy and people seem to love it. If I get stopped, or people wait to talk to me after shows, the podcasts will be the thing more than anything else they want to talk about, that's what people seem to really connect with.’
A handful of tickets remain for Snappy tomorrow at 8pm. Go to newtheatreroyal.com.