FLEABAG
Raunchy gets redefined in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s show, which wowed Edinburgh Fringe audiences in 2013 and is now back
in London and being relayed to a cinema near you. She developed the character into
two not-to-be-missed TV series. And she scripted Killing Eve, which was more must-see television. (Onstage last night she reminded me quite a lot of Villanelle.)
Fleabag is not stand-up - well
not exactly. It’s billed as a “one-woman play”, so perhaps the character is a
performance rather than an autobiographical confession. Phoebe W-B sits on a
chair and tells us Fleabag's recent life story, which is mostly about her busy hectic
life (mostly with men, but some of it “solo” with online porn), her collapsing
business (a guinea-pig themed cafe), relations with her business partner (dead,
a suicide), her sister (estranged) and her mother (also dead). There are some
sound effects and one voice-over (a job interview), but mostly she either talks
about people or does impersonations of them. Her mimicking of a weasel-faced
Tube pick-up is one of many high spots.
This is humour – this is life – at its rawest. A lot of it is rude (very) and funny
(achingly), but there are hollows in Fleabag’s life which she doesn’t flinch at
showing us: laughter some-times comes through tears. Waller-Bridge is at the
cutting edge of contemporary comedy. If you missed it last night, cinemas plan
a whole bunch of repeat showings. Do not miss it.
PS. If you're hoping to see the cute horny priest from Series Two of Phoebe's TV show, you're out of luck. BUT Andrew Scott will be appearing at a cinema near you this autumn in an NT Live (actually recorded) showing of Noel Coward's Present Laughter. And, of course, we'll be seeing Phoebe's contribution to the script of the new Bond movie next year. Will she bust his balls?
