Comedy's party starter has arrived. An enjoyable debut from an immigration lawyer who brings a new much-needed energy to the Fringe.
★ ★ ★ ★
Promising to bring the party to a 55-seater venue in the Pleasance Courtyard at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in a show titled Life of the Party, is a brave move. And one most would struggle to pull off.
Unless you're Sikisa of course, in which case, being the life of the party seems second nature for this immigration lawyer by day and comedian by night.
How does she do it? With Beyoncé blaring out on the way in, impressive dance break intervals and party bags on the way out. As we pile into the room, Sikisa sets the scene with red cups, balloons and a screen displaying personal photographs of her enjoying the kind of house parties she later talks about enjoying.
The show centres around one particular house party with hilariously entertaining tales of what others think about the men she dates, her aversion to recreational drugs and the difference between eating and nibbling at parties.
Sikisa also has some important points to make about race, Brexit and sexism, and drawing on her career as an immigration lawyer, she's able to offer an alternative perspective to what many other comedians can offer.
With an infectious charm and cheek, an hour in Sikisa's company flies by as this enjoyable debut from an immigration lawyer, brings a new much-needed energy to the Fringe. If you're going to make an impact with a debut, doing things a little differently is a smart way to do it. And audiences are on board pretty quickly.
Some audiences can take a bit of time to warm up. Not here. When Sikisa invites her audience to dance along with her during the dance breaks - from their seat - many do, and that's because of the atmosphere she's created.
Sikisa leaves you feeling like you've made a new best friend. One you hope will invite you to their next house party. And like all good house parties, Sikisa found herself losing her voice by the end of the show. An indication of how much energy and enthusiasm she brings to her debut.
If more comedians adopted the party atmosphere that Sikisa was able to achieve, it would certainly liven up the circuit a bit. The only downside? That there wasn't a minibus waiting outside the Pleasance Courtyard to take us all to an actual house party. But there were party bags for all, so I mustn't complain.