Nina Conti: The Dating Show – Arts Theatre, London

For anyone over 35, ventriloquism will conjure up Sunday Night at the London Palladium, The Royal Variety Performance and end of the pier vaudeville acts that offer the cosy comedy of yesteryear. But Nina Conti has changed all that with her contemporary approach to the art of voice throwing which involves other humans as well as the traditional hand puppet. Described as “the world’s first ventriloqual dating show”, Conti ‘s new piece arrives for a brief run at the Arts Theatre to help members of the audience find love.

From Blind Date to Take Me Out, First Dates and Love is Blind, individuals looking for love is probably the most enduring reality show format. Nina Conti: The Dating Show utilises that approach to create a comedy-stage performance that is part examination of relationships and part chat show in which (mostly) willing members of the audience join Conti on stage to discuss their relationship or the things they look for in a partner, except it is Conti who does all the talking for them.

Her unique selling point is a set of lower face masks with moveable lips worn by volunteers but controlled by Conti who, through close attention to body language, gesture and expression, provides the voices. There is something of The Grinning Man in the broad latex creations that include varying jawlines, noses and mouth shapes that convey a variety of personalities, some bunched with small features to which Conti provides a squeaky petulance, others more hangdog which require a lower register and a more laid-back attitude.

Conti’s ventriloquism skills extend to a range of accents and registers that she skips between at an alarming rate when five audience members participate in a Second Act skit set in a restaurant as two complete strangers enjoy a first date. Darting between the protagonists and her secondary characters becomes a chaotic but hilarious ensemble as Conti develops a comedy narrative using her silent human props and literally puts words in their mouths.

And while the voice-throwing is effective, this is a show built on quick-fire improvisation in which Conti responds to the lives, personalities and quirks of her randomly selected co-stars. Discovering a dating profile that included a love of eggs becomes a running joke throughout the show, while another participant’s ambiguous gestures and career in finance draws much hilarity as does the speed dating scenario in which eager members of the audience queue up for a few seconds on stage with Conti’s quick-fire barbs that even extends to improvised songs.

But Nina Conti: The Dating Show is inclusive and thoughtful in its comedy approach, going for gentle teasing and wordplay that never sets out to embarrass or upset anyone who volunteers information about their lives. Instead, it keeps the audience engaged by looking more broadly at the everyday silliness of dating apps and the awkwardness of first meetings, which are far more relatable.

This late show runs at just 70-minutes rather than the advertised 105-minutes which will allay any worries about catching the last train home. It means the show only has time for three main scenarios and segue interactions with Conti’s monkey puppet including a low key but strangely effective reverse voice-throwing conclusion. Ventriloquism is certainly shaking off its cosy associations and Conti has given this performance art a new lease of life.

Runs until 2 April 2022