Cal Wilson: It Could Have Been Me
Loveably mad performance from New Zealand comedian with fantastic use of props
Cal Wilson is a thoroughly loveable performer and is also a bit mad. She takes us on a journey through her many and disparate alternative selves, pondering what she might have been had she not ended up a married mother-of-one performing a one-woman show at the Edinburgh Fringe. There’s the grumpy fairy at 50 if she carried on performing in theatre groups at brothels; the erotic sci-fi writer (if she had been born male), the not-so-grieving widow of the philandering Mark (had she stuck with the wrong guy) delivering an alcohol-soaked eulogy, and the hardcore feminist knitting ovaries for the women's cause.
Wilson is a chipper presence and it's with conviction and gusto that she presents her characters. Originally from New Zealand, she's a well-known face on Australian TV, so she didn't do too badly after all with those life choices in the real world. It's a silly, slightly surreal romp through Wilson's imagination, with nice use of a good-natured stooge in the front row.
There's an extra star here for the most efficient and inventive use of props in a show. All the objects on the stage are wielded in the most innovative manner and just when you think she can't possibly have any more, she finds some and tops it.
Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 24 Aug, 7pm, £9.50--£10.50 (£8.50– £9.50).