Mel Hudson: Richard Ashcroft Revived My Libido comedy review – A lack of focus
Mel Hudson fails to find the centre of a scattershot hour filled with fluff
There’s an interesting story at the heart of Mel Hudson’s painfully honest account of the rise, fall and rise again of her libido. Unfortunately, it’s obscured by filler and fluff. She starts proceedings with an awkward skit involving her daughter, Ripley, and the pair display a peculiarly stiff rapport. Hudson tentatively finds her rhythm despite numerous lengthy introductions getting in the way. At one point, for reasons known only to herself, she reads aloud the pitch for this show which she originally sent to another venue.
Now in her 60s, Hudson has had an interesting comedy career, including work alongside Steve Coogan and Armando Iannucci. It’s refreshing to hear a woman of her age look back on her sex life and examine past conquests with fresh eyes, but the lack of focus is a real issue. When she gets to the show’s crux (it’s there in the title), Hudson skims over the event that reignited her libido, preferring instead to dwell on her past relationships before excruciatingly detailing her dalliances in the modern dating scene (the best section by far). The result is a show that has a genuinely compelling story to tell but spends far too much time circling around it.
Mel Hudson: Richard Ashcroft Revived My Libido, Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 30 August, 4.20pm.