Category Archives: Reviews

MAISIE ADAM – APPRAISAL

★★★★

UK Tour

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MAISIE ADAM – APPRAISAL at the Tyne Theatre & Opera House

★★★★

“a welcomingly confrontational and awkward evening of stand-up with a bit of something for everyone”

On the biggest night of her new tour, Maisie Adam presents a raucous night of heckling the audience right back, and journeying through the humour in everything, from coil “re-fittings”, awful gameshow appearances, and the class politics of wild water swimming in Brighton.

A rising TV favourite, Adam is a talented comedian who is hell-bent on providing both an “accurate” and “detailed” set (if she has learnt anything from mishearing previous hook-ups or gigging in Sweden). Appraisal takes the audience through a review of Adam’s current life, career, and relationship statuses, with punchlines that keep the crowd on side from start to finish. We are treated to a review of Adam’s state of being in comedy – with a closing segment dissecting the age-old question of what it’s like to be a woman in comedy. Adam’s reckons it’s much like being any other woman, performing odd rituals and actions to keep safe on a walk home, and syncing periods with the closest women around you (in this case, Adam’s front row at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House). Although this section of the set feels a bit out of nowhere, it did well to keep the laughs rolling through the audience.

The first act features Adam’s skilful crowd work, warming everyone up to what is essentially a slagging off with an audience. Be warned not to sit in the box at any future tour dates at beautiful proscenium-arched venues, you may be unwillingly entered into a “who is posher” contest, and it will, in fact, be hilarious for everyone involved, but you. It is a true joy to watch Adam’s improvised crowd-work in action, as she turns vague responses into weapons against punters before they can whoop overenthusiastically for the name of the city they travelled to Newcastle from. Adam’s is brilliant at rolling with the oddities of her audience and playing to the strangeness of their behaviour and responses. A particular shoutout must go to the gentleman in the front-row who very obviously legged it at the first brief mention that there might be an interval coming up. Adam’s dealt with him with a hilarious level of disbelief and we relished in the “fair enough” attitude the brilliantly timed awkward moment produced.

After the interval, Adam’s gives herself some feedback (good and bad) on how her life is going, along with astute and hilarious observations on the absurdity of being in your late twenties/early thirties and being surrounded by your oddly grown-up school friends who are still kids at heart, along with your parents who desperately need a quick word on their peculiar use of emojis. We are also treated to a very funny whistle stop tour of Adam’s treacherous gameshow features and cameos, from being a contestant on The Chase, to claiming an embarrassing level of obscurity on Pointless, as an answer.

For the most part, Adam’s lands blow after blow of hilarious self-deprecating jokes, and creates an atmosphere that will have everyone grinning from ear to ear (whether you are a middle-aged dad with a flip-phone case or one of Adam’s many younger lesbian fans). Maisie Adam’s: Appraisal is a welcomingly confrontational and awkward evening of stand-up with a bit of something for everyone. This show deserves all the praise it gets.

 


MAISIE ADAM – APPRAISAL at the Tyne Theatre & Opera House then UK Tour continues

Reviewed on 6th October 2024

by Molly Knox

Photography by Matt Crockett

 

 


 

 

Previously reviewed by Molly:

CRYING SHAME | ★★★★★ | EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE | August 2024
IS THE WI-FI GOOD IN HELL? | ★★★★★ | EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE | August 2024
MY MOTHER’S FUNERAL:THE SHOW | ★★★★★ | EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE | August 2024
TIT SWINGERS | ★★★★ | EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE | August 2024

MAISIE ADAM

MAISIE ADAM

Click here to see our Recommended Shows page

 

PORT CITY SIGNATURE

★★★½

Hope Theatre

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PORT CITY SIGNATURE at the Hope Theatre

★★★½

“a riveting, exciting watch”

Port City Signature by Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller is a Noir-styled suspense story centred around the arrival of the naïve Newcomer into the local public house after having missed her train home. The mistrustful Regular and his sex-working partner-in-crime, Lady (Katherine Lea), coax Newcomer into executing a shady deed for them, to help alleviate the targeted extortion they have been subject to from Sheriff, the local, corrupt law enforcer. Will she be able to follow through? Will things get out of hand? Only one way to find out.

The opening of the piece was given space and significance, with the space not always being as alive as it could have been. Set designer Hannah Williams did a marvellous job of creating a dark, dingy boozer that breathed dank ambience into the audience. Although they took their time, the actors initiated some interest in, and raised questions about the characters; somewhat, grabbing the attention of the audience, although not locking them into engagement, even though the story was being told clearly.

This could have been aided by more elaborate and interesting lighting and sound choices, helping the actors truly lean into the Noir style. It would’ve served the actors well to find the lightness and humour in the language and to have fully trusted the well written script of Brimmer-Beller to create the suspense for them.

However, with the pressures of the train arriving and the need for its loud, disguising rattle along the line, the suspense of the piece began to ignite. The given circumstances being expressed well by the trio on stage. The well-found and unshakeable nonchalance of Regular (Paddy Echlin) beginning to slip under the anxiety of the situation.

The capturing entrance of the callous and sinister Sheriff (David Carter) boosted and served the urgency of the scene and, in the first act’s climax, light, sound and performance blended together brilliantly in a crescendo of action. There was some good directorial craftwork and choices from Brimmer-Beller and Phoebe Rowell John, particularly with their choice for regular shootout style triangles, that gave the characters chance to fire their suspicions at each other, while revealing their inner life to the audience. The payoff from the slow build was good and the stakes of the piece were now being truly felt as the power shifted seamlessly into the hands of the unassuming Newcomer (Meg Clarke) who relished the opportunity and led the play ruthlessly to its ending. An unforeseen final twist made the audience feel abashed at having assumed all was what it seemed.

Everyone is a suspect in Port City Signature, with no loyalty between the untrustworthy characters and all ties between them being transactional. After an overly-measured start, the play built and built and built, finding its feet and made for a riveting, exciting watch.


PORT CITY SIGNATURE at the Hope Theatre

Reviewed on 4th October 2024

by Curtis Dean

Photography by Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller

 

 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE LEAST WE COULD DO | ★★★★★ | October 2023
MIND FULL | ★★★ | March 2023
HEN | ★★★ | June 2022
100 PAINTINGS | ★★ | May 2022
FEVER PITCH | ★★★★ | September 2021

PORT CITY SIGNATURE

PORT CITY SIGNATURE

Click here to see our Recommended Shows page