Material: Delivery: Laughs: Room:

There is something unique about Sonia Aste, whose chosen artform is the most lingual of them all – comedy. The special thing is that English is not her native language, & she has the ability to be funny in a foreign language – funnier than 99.9 percent of us, who would fold after about one minute trying to make people laugh from a stage.

We enter the room to the sounds of Iberian fiesta music, & are each given a fan to keep – red or yellow, the colours of Spain. Sonia is a natural entertainer, a fluffy bunny of funshine who plays on her Spanishness to offer something different to the Anglo-Scottish audiences. I mean, no British comedian would demand the return of Gibraltar – albeit through the mouthpiece of her father. But Sonia is also very Euroaware, & even had a Barcelona shirt ready to please the Catalans in the audience.

With Spain being one of the top destination for British tourists, my show shines a light into our cultural differences and what it means to be ‘Made in Spain’. It’s a fast paced show based on a ‘Tapas Menu’, and the audience chooses what they want to order. I wanted to cater to all comedy tastes and like a good Spanish meal, provide a space to share in the fun and laughter. Sonia Aste
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Sonia takes a while to warm up, but when she gets going – on her better material especially – she’s great, especially with her use of accents which transplant us effortlessly into her world back home. Her comedy is presented in a ‘choose your own adventure‘ fashion which she defines as Tapas, such as Dad’s Dish, Tourist Toasties, Spanish Song Salad & Hat Hotpot. For me, Sonia Aste is like a monkey swinging through the trees, sweeping skilfully forwards on the vines which are her well laid-out routines, at the end of which she bids us all adiós with a smile & a wink & a genuine wishing of our wells.

Damian Beeson Bullen