Aisling Bea's 'Older Than Jesus' Tour: A Hilarious Dive into Midlife and Motherhood
Aisling Bea, the celebrated sitcom star and Taskmaster stalwart, has finally embarked on her first standup tour with Older Than Jesus, a deeply daft and uproarious show that premiered at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. At 42, Bea tackles the classic midlife realization of outliving Jesus, weaving it into a 75-minute set that is both commanding and fun-loving, far from any rookie performance.
Glamourpuss Meets Accidental Mum
The show centers on Bea's recent "accidental pregnancy" and journey into motherhood, but don't mistake it for a mature affair. Bea revels in her unreconstructed daftness and self-involvement, offering a scatty tour of her middle years. From childhood memories of DIY Dairylea spreadables made with secondhand communion wafers to chaotic antics at a Take That movie wrap party, the comedy thrives on cartoon egotism and a keen sense of her own ridiculousness.
Bea's humor often pits the glamourpuss of her imagination against less Insta-friendly realities, such as putting her back out during a "slut drop" or curating a playlist for her own C-section. The butt of the joke is usually Bea herself, with occasional jabs at the sex education from her Catholic girls' school, adding layers of wit to the performance.
A Heartfelt Closing Sermon
In the closing stages, Bea ventures a moral to the story, as pregnancy and parenthood expose gender expectations she strongly rejects. This sermon, though somewhat out of the blue, feels winningly from-the-heart, providing closure to the lively and scatty exploration of her life. It weighs the life she's got against the one she gave up, finding much to love and laugh about in both.
The show continues to tour, with upcoming dates including De Montfort Hall in Leicester on 8 April, promising more laughs and insights from this comedic force.
