one4review | On 07, Aug 2022

I saw this show early in her run, presumably before Ms Fairweather has got into her stride. I hope she does find that stride because there’s good stuff here. Rather like bread dough needs time and space to breathe and relax so it can rise, I felt this show would benefit from a deep breath and a display of self-assurance to give it some lift and carry the audience all the way through.

In short, the material was obscured by the delivery: a breakneck speed, while not, in itself, an issue, was hindered by limited variation in tone and pace, resulting in monotony and a subtle shift to audience dis-engagement. Vocal ticks and repetition of phrases both distracted from the sense of the sentences, and contributed to a feeling that Ms Fairweather isn’t quite secure in her material (though, as mentioned, it’s early in the run). Ms Fairweather also isn’t the most mobile performer, so if you’re behind a tall person, welcome to the radio show.

Despite all of this, and a slightly wandering structure, there are indeed ‘structurally sound’ (as Ms Fairweather calls them) jokes in the show, which draws on her love of Taylor Swift, previous experience as a golfer, and exploration of the people who have wronged her. Those structurally sound jokes – which are also funny – and the entertaining bits in between, are present in sufficient quantity to make this intelligent and considered show worth a punt.

Reviewed by Laura

Just The Tonic at the Caves
14:25 (not 15th)