one4review | On 16, Aug 2021

This show is a bit of a chaotic shambles, through Ms McMahon herself is a delight. Some of the shambles is the venue: adjacent hand dryers, the facility for latecomers to wander in, the seats in odd places, and the fact some of her tech has wandered off. Some of it is in the structure of the show, which is perhaps best describes as ‘loosely’ or ‘lightly’ structured.

Ms McMahon started – right from the point of being her own front of house and pre-show hype man – and ended strongly, even if I couldn’t with certainty tell you what route we took through the middle. In this debut solo show, Ms McMahon demonstrates that she has the skills (including shutting down hecklers without alienating them, at the same time as keeping the rest of the audience on side) and funny instincts which will serve her well in comedy.

There is one passing mention of the pandemic, though the various topics covered – periods, things about and relating to women – might put some people off. There’s good material in this show, though some of it was a little lost in the delivery, and perhaps Ms McMahon doesn’t have as much conviction in her material as she should (especially given the reception). With some lovely audio and visual aids and a delightful final punchline, this is a fun show, and a bookmark for next year.

Reveiw by Laura

PBH’s Free Fringe at The Street
20:00, until 23rd August