Writer-directors: Harriet Pringle and Lizzie White
Lined up outside the performance space, everyone thinks they’ve come to the wrong show, only to realise that it’s already started. In a neat trick, production staff Emma (Abbie Want) and Alex (Mukuka Jumah) welcome us to ‘Talk of the Night’, a live Saturday night TV chat show. Actually, this might have made a better title.
On the couch are two populist campaigners and would-be politicians, Maud (Harriet Pringle) and Agnes (Lizzie White), who are suggesting ever more ludicrous policies to protect women from men. Their performance falling somewhere between clowning and satire, Maud and Agnes’ prospects are not enhanced by their wayward use of makeup.
The tone of the play shifts considerably in a series of backstory scenes. We’re reminded of the serious issues behind the comedy, such as football-related domestic violence. While this sits uncomfortably alongside the surface antics of the lead pair, it gives the overall show an edgy sense of purpose. Welcome back to the Fringe, Minotaur Theatre Company.
Liz McKenna has the rather thankless straight role of Jackie the interviewer, grilling Maud and Agnes in the no-nonsense style of Victoria Derbyshire or Laura Kuenssberg. She does an excellent job, her educated esturial accent contrasting with their Sloaney delivery. Strictly speaking this is more political interview than chat show, but it works well in terms of the overall balance of the piece.
While this is very much a one-act play, it’s thoughtful and sophisticated as well as funny. It ends rather abruptly, with a little twist. There’s plenty of youthful exuberance here, some of it baffling to an older generation, but it’s also rigorously controlled. The backstage mayhem of the TV show is tightly orchestrated, timings are spot-on, all the performers and crew acquit themselves with great style and professionalism.
Runs until 16 August 2025
