An unsparing portrait of a certain kind of lost soul, Emmeline Downie’s character Gail Summerfield amusingly balances shrill self-righteousness and pathos in this solid, two-act Fringe debut.
The deluded life coach, blissfully unaware of their own deficiencies, has long been a comic staple of the festival. But Gail’s set-up as a motivational guru almost seems incidental to the free flow of opinions from this middle-aged, divorced, mother-of-one and small business owner from Milton Keynes. Her presentation, lurching wildly in content, spouts positivity, stretches metaphors to breaking point and blithely steals intellectual property through her line of t-shirts.
However, it’s the tangents and asides in Downie’s tightly written script that flesh out the character and afford Gail a strong stamp of authenticity. A well-meaning but clumsy LGBT ally, she’s all about her own empowerment, just a little dubious about feminism generally. The piece parcels out and gives just enough context for you to appreciate why her adult son keeps her at arm’s length, though her committed pursuit of a puppy maybe lays on the extent of her loneliness a little thick.
Indeed, the whole unspooling after her presentation makes the reality of Gail’s situation overt, robbing it of subtleties as it ticks into a brutal pity party for one. The character is more compelling when she can kid herself of her self-worth.
Emmeline Downie: Gail, Pleasance Courtyard, until 30 Aug (not 17), 4.35pm