When it comes to comedy, oversharing is not really a fault. Let’s be honest, it’s pretty much a necessity. So to hear Rachel Jackson talk about her OCD (no, she tells us, it doesn’t mean her house is tidy), her intrusive thoughts, about that time she saw her brother’s penis when she was nine, or when her boyfriend dumped her via What’sApp, is to hear someone just doing her job. And doing it well.
If now and again the Fringe can feel like an Oxbridge away day (stretched out for the whole of August), that’s simply all the more reason to celebrate the chance to see a working-class Scot taking to the stage and absolutely bossing it.
Jackson has long had a desperation to be famous and this is a document of those times she thought she was on the verge of being discovered; as when she thought she was about to become a film star. Or that moment when she was certain she was about to be cast as a Disney princess. It also charts how her mental health sometimes robbed her of such opportunities. Though not always. Turns out she didn’t get the Cinderella gig because her face wasn’t “tiny” enough.
It’s a show that includes guest appearances by Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock (not in person: I don’t want to get your hopes up) and Dwayne Johnson’s minder, fainting cartoon animals, the Megabus and even Sawney Bean. (Can cannibals be sexy? Here’s your chance to find out.)
Jackson talks fast and funny, is never sorry for herself and is genuinely enlightening about OCD as a condition. All of which makes for a Fringe show that is both educational and entertaining. And worth an hour of your time.
But that’s underselling it. This is a whirlwind comic journey through Jackson’s life, hopes and fears that leaves you buying into her dream. It might not make her famous, but it should make her – and you – believe that it still might be possible. Talent will out, surely. I mean, if you’ve got The Rock in your corner you must stand a chance, right?
Rachel Jackson: Almost Famous, Stand 2, 13.20, August 7-14, 16-23,25-28
