one4review | On 04, Aug 2025

 

Sophie Fisher’s ‘An Ode to the Casting Director’ is a captivating solo performance that brilliantly captures the surreal highs and crushing lows of life as an aspiring actor. In a sold-out, intimate venue at the Gilded Balloon’s Patter House, Fisher held the audience spellbound with a performance that was both heartfelt and sharply comic.

Fisher charts her path from a shy, awkward child, but one who craved attention, to a budding actor juggling rejection, identity, and the bleak reality of survival jobs. Her day-to-day life is dominated by her coffee shop gig, a hopelessly unresponsive agent, discouragement from both of her parents and an unsuitable boyfriend. Yet on stage, she’s radiant; her vulnerability is raw, her comedic timing impeccable, and her storytelling deeply human.

The supporting “cast” appears only as disembodied voices – an effective choice that heightens Sophie’s emotional isolation while still letting us hear the cacophony of criticism and indifference she faces. Her auditions veer into the absurd: she’s asked to sing, dance, drum, and strip to her bikini, all with a smile. Through it all, Sophie starts to wonder if she really is chasing a dream, or simply wasting her life?

There were a couple of very minor stumbles over lines, but given the sheer volume of dialogue and the intensity of her delivery, it’s a forgivable blemish on an otherwise electric performance.

Fisher’s ability to carry the show solo is nothing short of a tour de force. An Ode to the Casting Director is more than a story about acting – it’s a story about resilience, delusion, and what it means to want something with your whole heart. I would highly recommend catching this performance.

****1/2

Reviewed by Howard

Gilded Balloon Patter House  The Penny

11.40 to 12.40

Until 25th August (not12th)