Wielding nothing but a fake knife to appeal to our violent instincts, Chelsea Birkby delivers a menacing and tyrannical hour of Microsoft PowerPoint expertise and constant laughs in a bid to have the entire audience under her control come the end of the show. Throughout the performance, her persona ChiChi is unleashed, who has a way with getting the audience involved and, unfortunately for one poor soul, exposing them for perhaps being the one who tried to Google her nude photos. There is clever and intellectually rewarding comedy throughout the whole show, mixed in with some absolutely silly laugh-out-loud moments.
She begins the show in a David Byrne-esque oversized suit, looking ready to present profits at the next business meeting, slide clicker in hand and PowerPoint certificate buried somewhere in a forgotten filing cabinet. She gets straight into how violated she felt after a magician read her mind, and in retaliation, she will be doing the exact same to all of us at the end, using nothing but her sheer intellect, quick wit and a calculator. There are some great bits in here, especially when it comes to the retelling of stories about her parents, whose identities are cleverly censored by replacing the Ns in their names with Ms (this extends as far as renaming a certain city to Milton ‘Keymes’).
If you hate magic, Chelsea Birkby is the comic for you. I would, however, I advise you to sit towards the back of the venue if you’re from London, unless you’re feeling particularly brave that evening.
Chelsea Birkby: Is In Full Control The Entire Time, 21:45, Bunker Three at Pleasance Courtyard, Aug 5-30
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/chelsea-birkby-is-in-full-control-the-entire-time
