Temi Wilkey has the audience eating out of her hand in this hilarious and thought-provoking one-woman affair. Strutting and prancing before us, commanding the attention that she desperately craves, Wilkey explores the motivations behind this insatiable need. Taking us through her backstory, she reveals the hardships of her life, such as when a hernia tragically prevented her from performing in the school play. She deftly moves between some lighthearted stories to explore the harsher truths of being a black female actor in Britain. As she reports, though, she doesn’t want the show to be about this, even if that’s the reality before breaking into song as a bid to ‘win us back on side’. But, as she’s well aware, the audience remains firmly there throughout. 

The final part of the hour does lose focus a little with an unexpected turn into exploring her relationship with dance. But it’s a great excuse to fling herself around the stage, picking out audience members and demanding they keep their attention on her, to funny effect. Throughout this high-energy show, Wilkes proves that her own main character energy is absolutely deserved. 

Main Character Energy, Roundabout @ Summerhall, until 26 August, 9.40pm; main picture: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.