Just the Tonic at The Caves
Aug 8-11, 13-25 (14:40)
Nerine Skinner has an unenviable problem. Unlike the rest of us, for whom the name ‘Liz Truss’ elicits little more than a wry smile and the mental equivalent of mild acid reflux, Nerine has found herself trapped in a Kafka-esque hell whereupon her mind, and all of her life’s fortunes, have become inextricably intertwined with those of the former prime minister, of whom the kindest thing one can say about their premiership is to praise it for its brevity. Such is Truss’s current ignominy, that she was blanked by an ITV news presenter recently at Goodwood. Skinner is now determined to cut free this ghoulish spectre by literally, and metaphorically, exorcising herself of the cheese eating, pork prospecting, former politician.
As we enter the darkened room, in the appropriately eerie attic of The Caves, we’re greeted by candles, photos of Truss, Kylie singing ‘Can’t get you out of my head’, and a creeping Skinner already in character, hovering about on the periphery, handing out ‘Orders of Service’ & mumbling generic rose-tinted platitudes about our ‘great loss’. By the time they’re seated, the audience are all already grinning, laughing, and thoroughly in the mood for a ritualistic mental disembowelling of our once ‘great leader’.
For those unaware of Nerine, or those who have simply forgotten Truss, the opening 15 minutes of this crowd pleasing nostalgia fest cum political torture porn is spent recounting Skinner’s accidental rise to semi-fame, and the boom-bust economics of being a character comedian so adroit at her specialty impersonation that professional implosion on the part of one inevitably consigns the other to the same fate. Graphs, a ‘highlights reel’ of Truss’s most cringe-worthy quotes, and a prop lettuce are all utilised to remind us in graphic detail of the car crash which was Truss’s ‘rise to fame’. This serves as a reminder of just what a gift she was to impressionists, and how hard it must be when such a regular source of comedy gold simply disappears.
Nerine tries to support us, and herself, through proceedings by employing a range of characters to guide us all through the pre-exorcism process. She introduces ‘alt-right’ conspiracy theory Youtubers, Australian ‘wellness guru’s, current Cabinet incumbents, another disgraced former PM, and a healthy dose of audience participation throughout the rest of the show, to lead us through hymns, reflections, eulogy, and of course the grand finale of the exorcism itself.
Throughout all of this Nerine is immensely likeable, her crowd work and singing/rapping are excellent, and the concept & structure of the whole show work very well indeed. The broad range of demographics across the crowd are all catered for, comfortable, and visibly entertained and there isn’t a moment over the hour when one corner of the room or another isn’t laughing.
After such strong material with Truss though, Nerine’s new ‘characters’ pale somewhat in comparison. Skinner’s strengths are definitely with her straight up impersonations, rather than the goofy and under-developed wellness guru’s and internet cranks. This is possibly however part of the point Nerine is trying to make. After the boundless technicolour shit-show of the last 5 years of Tory politics, everything since seems bland, stale, lifeless, ‘Starmer-esque’. So it’s no surprise that the last 15 minutes of the show goes right for the jugular with a special guest star cameo from the largest of larger than life political figures of the last 50 years making an appearance as ‘The Exorcist’, and this ensures that the climax of the piece is delivered in breathless, chaotic, hilarious, ‘proper Fringe’ fashion.
Skinner, during audience work, very much channels the mischievous mania of Nina Conti & ‘Monkey’. There are costume changes behind capes, ludicrous false teeth, sexual tension dripping ‘intimidation’ of male audience members, and a general sense of fun so overwhelming that despite the inevitable pessimism inherent in any consideration of the current state of politics, every single audience member leaves with a smile on their face, and Skinner’s goofily accurate Truss grin beaming directly into their own brain, which I suppose suggests that it has indeed been a successful exorcism.
Ewan Law
themumble.uk 