To write and perform a one-woman show is no small feat, but Diya Shah makes it look effortless. She instantly puts the audience at ease with her personable and effervescent energy that does not waiver for a minute of her performance. She seems to be born for this stage. The Cambridge Footlights’ debut stand-up comedy show is markedly personal, but also universal: Diya’s openness about her failed love life and ‘humbling’ moments as a fresher thespian gets the audience wholly on her side right from the start of her set. A constant chorus of cheers accompany her show, and this can’t just be attributed to the drunken state of the crowd.

Though the start of her set relies heavily on being part of the Cambridge theatre scene (which can be somewhat isolating to those not in the in-crowd), when she moves on to more unique anecdotes her original comedic style shines through. Diya strikes a good balance of making jokes on pop culture and anecdotal stories; the Barbenheimer joke was definitely a crowd pleaser but the use of props like the (dare I say iconic?) ‘brown’ tote bag brought the house down. The ‘fairytale of Princess Footlight’ section was a standout for me: her strong comic timing managed to keep the audience thoroughly engaged even during this longer-form set-up and punchline, while her linguistic analysis of a catty remark about the use of her time was hilarious.

“A constant chorus of cheers accompany her show, and this can’t just be attributed to the drunken state of the crowd”

Setting herself up as the spiritual successor to Taskmaster co-host and fellow Sidney Alumnus Alex Horne is a smart move too. Diya seems to be especially comfortable in working with props, and so the Taskmaster section of her set is a highlight. A cushion with her face on, and two very camp alarm clocks are funny on their own, but it’s Diya’s delivery that really sells the joke. Her casual and mainly observational comedy would make her a natural fit for a future contestant.

Diya embraces audience participation through spontaneous tarot card readings and the crux of her show, the graph of ‘the good, the bad, and the humbling’. The premise makes for an intelligent structuring of her hour-long set, and the fact that the show really didn’t feel as long as that is a credit to the Footlight. Some crowd participation falls flat, and classic Cambridge prop malfunctions do occur, but Diya moved on with the confidence of a seasoned comedian.

“It is Diya’s charisma that endears us to her, as much as her minion onesie”

Her nerves do sometimes surface in the over-explaining of set-ups (we are all aware of how BBC Pointless works), and her performance is far stronger when she relies less on the heavy-handed explanation of context and instead goes for subversive humour. It also might be a product of nerves that much of the humour of her show is other people’s jokes: strangers’ tweets and a ‘fairy godmother’s’ shady comment. While Diya’s self-deprecation in response to these humblings is well timed and relatable, she is clearly capable of producing far funnier jokes than a middle aged Pointless viewer on Twitter.

The ‘divine Diya’ ends her set, in quite a meta way, declaring her performance ‘good and ego-boosting’ as opposed to ‘bad and humbling’. In this way she rejects any review comment I could make and decides to run her own race. This is inspired. However, I expected her to make more of a meal about accepting her ‘humbling’ moments, for it is these moments that helped her achieve what she has today. Nevertheless, the show has an organic narrative, and the audience leaves feeling though they have embarked on a journey with a close friend. It is Diya’s charisma that endears us to her, as much as her minion onesie. ‘The good, the bad, and the humbling’ is on for one night only, which is tragic for those of you who missed a truly hilarious and joyful performance. I can only hope her comedy continues to feature heavily in future ADC lineups, or else we’ll just catch her on Celebrity Pointless.