The weather experts had predicted rain on this day in Brighton, so obviously, we were sat outside in the courtyard at the Twisted Lemon, thoroughly enjoying our drinks in the early evening sun. The cocktails at this hidden gem of a bar have always been fantastic, but on this day, the Corpse Reviver No. 2 (a Clownster favourite) was exactly what the doctor ordered. It’s always tough to leave a spot like this, but we had a show to get to, and it was one that we were all really looking forward to.

Heading through the maze that is The Lanes, we reached ‘The Secret Comedy Club,’ appropriately hidden away in the rear basement of Artista, a cool little bar with a welcoming barman. We grabbed our drinks (Squid gin, no seriously!) and headed down the steps and into the venue. This was almost a perfect fringe space: cosy yet comfortable, with a capacity that could really create an atmosphere. Our clown was enthusiastically greeting people at the door, so we found our seats and waited for the show to begin.

Juliette Burton brings an energy to the stage that is reminiscent of a Saturday morning kids’ TV presenter. It’s full-on to the point of being suspicious, so you always feel that there is something darker being covered up… more on that later.

This clown is easy to enjoy; her enthusiastic flow wins over the room, and the premise of the show is straightforward enough to understand – she feels that her brain is broken and decides to fix it – but complex to master. There are a lot of trauma/mental health shows on the comedy circuit these days. For one to stand out, it needs to be three things: well-crafted, offer an original take, and be authentic. By that measure, Juliette Burton has scored a hat-trick.

The detailed breakdown and analysis of her brain’s performance, along with insights into the possible sources of trauma, is as fascinating as the comparison between the ‘Dunning-Kruger Effect’ and the ‘Freddy-Krueger Effect’ is hilarious.

Yet, despite the laughter, you always sense that a twist is coming. The close of the show switches to gallows humour as the true reasons for its creation become clear. Good comedians make you laugh; great comedians make you care – and in less than an hour, this emotional switch had been flicked.

This was a fabulous hour of comedy which we all thoroughly enjoyed. Sadly, this was the last performance of this particular show. However, our clown is taking three shows to the Edinburgh Fringe with ‘Hope Punk‘ & ‘Talking Crazy‘ at Gilded Balloon and ‘Going Rogue‘ at The Counting House. We recommend you catch her if you can; it’s basically a no-brainer.

Clown Stars : * * * * *

@The Secret Comedy Club (Artista), Brighton