‘Can TikTok comedians cut it live?’. A question we’re condemned to be reading think pieces about for years to come, as a generation that found fame on the social media platform tries to hack it in clubs. One of the first out of the traps with a full show is Toronto-based TikToker Laura Ramoso, who has racked up tens of millions of views for her online skits, and now turning her hand to more conventional IRL comedy with her debut hour ‘Frances’.
There is, undeniably, a strange vibe at points: a skit about her stern German mother feels extra to the show, but is greeted with roars of approving recognition from the outset. Obviously her TikTok success hasn’t turned her into an arena-size superstar, but it’s clearly acquired her some fans.
The substance of ‘Frances’ revolves around the eponymous character, a scatty young woman who was unexpectedly dumped by her boyfriend Frank a couple of months back – something she sings about at length, in a wildly offkey voice. And she has news: she’s been thrown into a tizz by Frank unexpectedly phoning and asking if they can meet up.
Six foot one and with enough energy to power a small country, Ramoso plays both Frances and Frank in a series of skits that build towards their meeting. If it feels a little rooted in a North American perspective on dating, there’s some very funny stuff in there, not least her co-opting of a couple of audience members as the couple’s respective best friends, and a loopy attempt to do an impression of the manager of a London Primark.
North American-centricity definitely feels like a thing throughout: there’s a fascination with European stereotypes that doesn’t quite work here – in particular her long, not very funny skit about having an Italian dad seems rooted in Italian-American cultural stereotypes that just don’t land. Still, there’s plenty of sillier, more interesting universal stuff, and at the end of the day she’s so winningly energetic it’s hard not to be won over.
Can TikTok comedian Laura Ramoso cut it live? As a performer, absolutely. As a writer, maybe she’s got a way to go – not because she’s unfunny, but because ‘Frances’ feels caught between what she does online and the stand-up show she still has the potential to write.
