Allegory is a stand-up comedy show about the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive—stories shaped by the shifting constellations of colleagues, friends, family, and, unexpectedly, a pet octopus with digestive issues. Using sharp observation and darkly playful humour, Anu Vaidyanathan explores how identity is constructed, negotiated, and quietly revised over time.

At its core, the show examines what it means to be an immigrant parent navigating the awkward task of dissecting the past while standing firmly in the present. It moves through the contradictions of working womanhood—our supposed freedoms, the myths we inherit about choice and success, and the emotional labour required to hold everything together while pretending it’s effortless. Allegory asks what happens when the narratives we’ve relied on no longer fit the lives we’re living.

Threaded throughout is an intimate, often absurd inquiry into our relationship with our own minds and bodies: the ways they cooperate, betray, adapt, and demand attention at inconvenient moments. Balancing vulnerability with incisive wit, the show shifts between the personal and the political without ever losing its sense of fun.

Praised by Phoebe Waller-Bridge as “super and funny,” described by The Scotsman for its “clever, quick-fire observations,” and noted by The Listfor its “brilliant moments of surprise and subversion,” Allegory is thoughtful, irreverent, and quietly radical—a comedy hour about meaning-making, misalignment, and learning how to live with the stories we can’t quite let go of.

Additional information

Duration: 70 minutes

Age guidance: 16+

Venue: Workshop, Exeter Phoenix

*Subject to a £1.50 ticketing system charge. We don’t charge this to make a profit. Find out more >>