Madeleine Brettingham grew up as a pub kid, sitting in a bar for hours waiting for her dad to finish drinking, usually with a packet of crisps. Here, she learned what a true “geezer” was, basically her dad.
After giving her definition of what an “old geezer” is, which included acting out how a crab walks, she picks someone from the audience to be this show’s “geezer” who she named Gary and would give a nod too every time she said something sexist or overly orthodox.
She gives us a well-rounded view of her childhood and upbringing, but this show is predominately centred around her alcoholic dad and her getting away from him as her form of rebelling against someone who basically has no rules.
This super-fast paced performance is full of quick jokes, so much so that I found it hard to finish my laugh from the last joke before a new topic or piece of crowd work came flying at me.
It does not miss out on emotions. While for the majority of this act you’ll be falling off your seat laughing, there are also some serious moments when it comes to getting into the nitty gritty of her family life, which aids the narrative flow and prevents the show from becoming too repetitive.
Anecdotes are weaved throughout the show which then entwine into a very clever, fully thought-out climax, showing just how far a woman must go compared to a man to become a “legend”.
This is a show about beer, daddy issues, and death – a perfect combination.
Madeleine Brettingham: Legend, 20:20, Wee Room at Gilded Balloon Teviot, 5th – 31st
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/madeleine-brettingham-legend
