After attending the Fringe previously as part of five-piece sketch group The Jest, character comic Bryony Twydle makes an accomplished solo Fringe debut with her refreshing and inventive show Flamingo.
Twydle introduces us to six characters for her first solo hour and during the show we discover all the characters are connected, a clever device which doesn’t feel contrived. The comic is fantastic at characterisation and the sketches prove her impressive range. Despite being a solo performer, you really feel like there are truly multiple characters on stage and Twydle performs the show with high energy to the end, with the audience enraptured throughout.
Characters that on first appearances may appear cliched – during one sketch posh public schoolboy Hector is revealed to have hidden depths and vulnerabilities when pitted against his vapid, emotionally distant mother and the skit with American QVC presenter Lisa Martinez Moore is an excellent comment on television’s airbrushing of mature women. Every personality on stage has a story, they’re not just there for cheap laughs which is rare in sketch comedy where characters are often one dimensional.
Props and set decoration are minimal – allowing the audience to fully focus on Twydle’s talents. Flamingo is a masterclass in writing, performance and comedy which proves Twydle to be a star on the rise.
Bryony Twydle: Flamingo Underbelly Bristo Square 20:30 daily until 27 August. Tickets £9/£8 and available to buy here.
