Brimming with first-Fringe brio, Lily Blumkin has hit on a promising hook for her debut character show. The Daily Show writer/performer takes us back to her childhood home, because the folks are moving on, she needs to clear out her old stuff, sort those momentos, and maybe move on too.
That pre-character introductory chat is arguably the show’s strongest section, ironically: the real Blumkin is engaging already, rattling through scrappy props and screen prompts. But then the transformations, and it’s a solid first half, as we meet awkward loved ones from the past. An early sort-of boyfriend overshares, dad overtries while meeting her first girlfriend, and family-friend Trish loses it completely.
Things fizzle from there, sadly, as some tenuously-linked characters take over – a lady from HR, a Lush shop assistant – who are fun, but feel like time-fillers. Thankfully Blumkin then reveals a new strand to her skillset; several tangled strands, in fact, as she goes full absurdist, playing a clump of horny hair in a steamy shower scene. Quite the twist.
The other threads then tie up relatively satisfactorily, including a jokey rabbi; it’s just a shame that promise of a proper storyline didn’t really develop. Nice try, though.
Lily Blumkin: Nice Try, Gilded Balloon Patter House, until 25 Aug (not 14), 5.40pm