How glorious to be in the company of a truly silly and original comic talent. Lorna Rose Treen showcases the authentic eccentricity and funny bones that have helped to generate a great deal of hype for her debut show, a fun collection of off-kilter character sketches.
A volcano-shaped mound of clothes in the middle of the stage provides a handy – if cramped – base for her quick costume changes as she morphs from nine-year-old Brownie to cigarette-abusing femme fatale with a rhotacism to a sinister Keira Knightly-esque “girl of your dreams”. These are among her strongest characters, alongside the girl who insists it’s normal to be crap and average (and is anything but), and the fantastic woman who has guns for hands.
Treen’s education under clown-maker Philippe Gaulier is evident: every physical move she makes is funny, and her commitment to generating laughter is total. There are moments when her vocal daftness is reminiscent of Laura Solon in her live prime, and some of her more surreal material calls to mind Anna Crilly and Katy Wix in their Penny Spub’s Party days.
Treen’s take on Sally Rooney is also wonderful, and I’d have been much happier if some of the lovely ideas here were as well as developed as this was. One particular surprise in the show, on reflection, might be regarded as insensitive to a certain vulnerable group of the population. I do feel a bit po-faced for pointing this out, given how funny the audience found it, but there’s definitely scope to rework it should Treen wish to.
This show is bound to sell out, but keep watching edfringe.com in case this future star adds some extra dates.
