Genre: Comedy (Stand-Up, Solo Show)

Words: Berlyn Lee

5 Stars

If you saw Sydnee Washington today, in her skin-tight Barbie pink jumpsuit, you would never guess that she was once a self-described weirdo with a big forehead and thin eyebrows, whose only friend was her life-size black Barbie doll. You’d probably never guess that she was kicked out of college, or served celebrities as a New York bottle girl, or stole drugs from a fancy mansion with her American Apparel model girlfriend in Miami. Sydnee Washington has definitely lived a life! As she says, some of these stories are “so embarrassing” they can only be re-enacted by Black Barbie in a stop motion, multimedia stand-up show. 

After painstakingly searching Google for pictures of Barbie in almost every compromising situation you could think of, Sydnee has compiled a slide-show of her life story, and boy is it a wild ride. Even though Sydnee sits behind a laptop for the entirety of the show, she commands the stage with ease. The show may be held in a cave underground, but Sydnee’s natural humour paired with this honest, hilariously self-deprecating hour makes it feel like a catch up with your bestie. 

Many of us started as the weird kid, but Sydnee is living proof that you can become the person you’ve always wanted to be while embracing the past. This ode to Sydnee’s first best friend, the Black Barbie, is a must see. 

Sydnee Washington: My Black Barbie Story
CabVol 1 at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Cabaret Voltaire)
15:50
Aug 5-16