MARION SAUVEBOIS meets a comedian who works to relax

SINCE the gift of motherhood was bestowed on her, Lucy Porter’s life has taken a more domesticated direction.

And like every busy mum, she needs a break, time to unwind and relax.

Which is exactly what she is hoping to get when she brings her new show Me Time to the Arts Centre tonight.

“With two children, the only time I feel relaxed and entirely at ease is on stage, in front of an entire room of people who have to listen to me,” she quips.

“I used to get a bit nervous about doing stand-up but now it’s a blessed relief to go to work. As much as you love your children, there are times when going to work feels like being released from prison.”

But do not expect a show replete with by-the-minute accounts of her bundles of joys’ slapdash foray into this crazy adventure we call life.

Me Time will deliver the same wacky humour which has propelled Lucy Porter onto the comedy scene. An account of how she single-handedly defeated communism in Russia, an exploration of why she would have come into her own as a Victorian, or old glamorous Hollywood star, are some of the highlights in store.

“What the whole show builds towards is a story about how I destroyed the political system of the USSR. It’s a story about how I lost my faith in politics. Just having a bit of a moan really.”

Swindon has been a fixture on her touring route and it will be Lucy’s fifth (perhaps even sixth, her memory is playing tricks on her) performance at the Arts Centre. And she is keen to reward any spectator who has attended every single one of her Swindon gigs so far.

“We’re getting to the point that, if I was a coffee shop, you would be getting a free cup of coffee. So if you’ve been to all my shows in Swindon you should email me via my website and you’ll get a prize.”

To claim your free throne (or possibly a chocolate bar, depending on the means available), visit http://www.lucyporter.co.ukwww.lucyporter.co.uk

Lucy Porter will be at the Arts Centre at 8pm. Tickets cost £15. To book go to www.swindontheatres.co.uk or call 01793 524481.