one4review | On 12, Aug 2026

Ms Holston introduces this as a work-in-progress show, but it’s as accomplished and well developed as many ‘finished’ and ‘review ready’ shows I’ve seen (and much better than a fair few). I hope any further finishing and polishing doesn’t polish out the things that make it delightful: the candidness and the boundary setting, the almost-dancing as she talks, the hair flicks and the foot pops, the musicality in her delivery and her way of telling stories. She might still be fine-tuning this show, but she’s found her style on stage, and she’s good.

Not yet entirely off-book, and with a couple of glimpses into how the sausage is made, the show opened with a tech snafu (is it a real Fringe show without one?) the solution to which established Lianna as competent and in control, and made the audience complicit. A lovely method of gauging who was up for chatting (which should be adopted widely!) and who had what for breakfast, and the show was off: telling big secrets and smaller gossip, raising to an exquisite punchline about consent, and culminating in a raucous and delicious ending.

It’s not a spoiler that Lianna has trained and qualified in theatre, and has additional performing experience beyond that. It’s evident in her way of moving, her diction and prosody, her use of words and language, but it is all of this as well as her comic timing and eye for a productive funny thread that makes this show a gem.

Reviewed by Laura
Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose
Until 16th