By: Charlotte Fox
Reviewer: Simon Topping
Promises of a stand-up show with a mix of music, sketch and character are not fully realised in this piece, which raises a smile here and there but sadly rarely ignites into laughter.
It is never in doubt that Charlotte Fox is a ball of energy. From the off she bursts onto the stage full of beans and continues at pace throughout her performance. The high kicks, yoga postures and constant movement are all impressive. However what the performance gives in high energy it lacks in the quality of her material.
Fox seems nervous of her performance, it is one dimensional, peppered with middle class clichés.
A large portion of the stand up relates to the alternative therapy world, such as dancing with sage, spell books, yoga retreats and the taking of ayahuasca.. The stories feel oddly inauthentic, especially as Fox is a yoga instructor outside of her comedy performances..
The audience is regaled with her sexcapades, when Fox unwittingly starts an orgy. She also talks about the toxic relationship she has with her therapist. It is hard for the majority of the audience to connect with these topics as there is not much warmth in the way they are portrayed and no one topic is explored in detail.
Better material explores her obsessions when she is in new relationships; the need to get the key cut to a new lover’s house, without them noticing. There’s also an interesting glimpse into the artist’s love of Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder. These are the moments that would have been nice to be seen explored further. Sadly the pace of the night does not allow, we are moved quickly to more pedestrian and well trodden paths.
Nothing below the surface is scratched. Points relating to the patriarchy and female empowerment are superficially and somewhat confusingly crowbarred into the set. It would also have been nice to see this explored in more depth and perhaps placed as the theme throughout the show, not just at the tail end of the piece.
There are glimmers of a good show within this performance. Fox can use a funny turn of phrase well and does possess the skills to be a good physical comedian. It is a shame that, in this outing, the opportunities presented to the audience in some of her more interesting avenues of material have been lost in favour of an overall production that is a confusing mix of unrelated stories.
Reviewed On 29th May
The Reviews Hub Score
Rethink Needed
