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Queen Chandelier

Sommore

Netflix · 2023 · 70 min

A veteran comic delivers on-demand beatings and sharp quarantine wisdom.

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Sommore commands the stage with the serene self-assurance of a veteran who has spent nearly three decades in the trenches of stand-up. She treats the stage as her living room, pacing in high heels and an elegant wardrobe, radiating the exact type of “chandelier status” she has long used to describe her solo career—being the one bright thing in the room that does not have to match anything else. Her posture is glamorous, but her perspective is that of a blunt, older relative who has absolutely no patience for modern nonsense.

The material here works because she approaches well-worn territory with structural wisdom rather than lazy observational tropes. While many comics in 2023 had already run the quarantine well dry, she manages to extract genuine humor from pandemic isolation by focusing on the absurdity of our collective coping mechanisms. Filmed at the Wick Theatre in Boca Raton, Florida, this sixth self-produced hour sees her taking aim at social media prayer requests, cheapskates looking for free handouts, and the rise of internet relationship gurus like Kevin Samuels.

Her standout routine is a pitch for a fictional app called Uber Beats, which allows users to hire on-demand beatdowns for annoying coworkers. It is the kind of high-concept premise that highlights her ability to weave crowd-pleasing silliness into her otherwise poised delivery. She also targets the vanity of false eyelashes and the tragic rise of sensible shoes, offering a critique of modern style that feels more like affectionate hazing than bitter complaining.

As one of the original headliners of the Queens of Comedy tour, she has built her career without relying on industry favors or mainstream validation. Premiering on Netflix in early 2023, the hour served as an overdue showcase for a performer who has consistently sold out theaters on her own terms. While the show loses a little momentum in its final third, her total command of the room remains an object lesson in pacing and presence.

The set list

4 bits

  1. Mo'Nique's 2021 social media post regarding women wearing hair bonnets at airports

    Sommore observes travelers in bonnets and humorously envisions what would occur if one encountered Mo'Nique in person, saluting Mo'Nique for standing her ground.

  2. Miami airport detection dogs

    Jokes about the four distinct varieties of dogs deployed at the Miami airport to detect contraband and diseases, riffing on which dog targets her.

  3. Aversion to free or complimentary items

    Performs an animated, screaming act-out explaining her distrust of free handouts and how people treat recipients of complimentary goods.

  4. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Aging gracefully and maintaining sex appeal via plastic surgery closer

    Argues cosmetic surgery to look sexy in older years is acceptable only if paired with trading one's sexy speaking voice for the voice of Maya Angelou, providing a live demonstration.

How it plays

Tone
Irreverent, raunchy, witty, and socially observant.
On stage
Confident, poised 'Queen of Comedy' exuding boundless charisma, sharp wit, and regal bravado.
Pace
Steady flow with controlled momentum, allowing room for the audience to ruminate on punchlines while keeping the set driving forward.
About
Post-quarantine life and COVID-19 vaccines, Suspicion of free stuff, Airport travel and security, Fashion and grooming rules (bonnets, fake lashes, baby hair, ugly shoes), Aging, grief, and plastic surgery

What the critics said

Decider recommended the special as a 'Stream It', praising Sommore's acquired wisdom, stage presence, and post-quarantine rules. The Envoy Web found it a pleasantly enjoyable and charismatic special with steady delivery, though noting some material leans toward specific cultural demographics or familiar pandemic territory.

In the room: Raucous, highly engaged, and responsive to routines about airports, quarantine, and aging.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: scottwoolley.com, bbfc.co.uk, rottentomatoes.com, decider.com, theenvoyweb.com, en.wikipedia.org, sommore.com.

Backstory

Life navigating the post-quarantine COVID-19 pandemic landscape, alongside personal reflection on the passing of her father in early 2020 prior to quarantine and reconciling their relationship.

Details

Released
Taped
The Wick Theatre, Boca Raton
Runtime
70 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Kevin Layne
Topics
After
Chandelier Fly (2026)

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