one4review | On 05, Aug 2018

The Scotland-Russia Forum each year compiles a list of festival shows which are from, about, or to do with Russia. Ms Koch’s (pronounced to rhyme with ‘loch’) show, as well as being funny, manages to give a flavour of living in Russia in the late eighties and through into the nineties, and for that, quite apart from the gripping story and delightful finale, is a good enough reason to see the show.

The show’s quite tightly structured, tracing, chronologically, the reasons for her father’s disappearance from home in the middle of the night. After setting up this initial conundrum Olga returns to the start, when her parents met. Accompanied by photos from her family’s archive, and Soviet and Russian publicity material, she explains how the interweaving of her country’s and family’s narrative resulted in her father’s disappearance.

Ms Koch had an easy and familiar way about her interactions with the audience, and was secure and confident in both material and delivery. A few of her early jokes were maybe a little to risqué for some in the audience, but she doesn’t depend on the smut for laughs – she is a good enough comic and has enough material to present a variety of options. While the show makes reference to politics, it isn’t an inherently political show, describing an experience rather than commenting on political validity.

Good storytelling – amusing anecdotes and a sense of mild peril – this show is an informative an genial hour.
****
Reveiwed by Laura

Pleasance Courtyard, 19:15