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Lucy Porter: Fringe 2012
Live Review
Stand 1

Lucy Porter begins by being slightly awkward and self-deprecatory – though everyone knows really she's witty, charming, amazing... I've fallen in love with her without really listening to what the show's about. It's no surprise the venue's packed with an adoring audience, and Porter charismatically owning the room with a mild lavender-scented breeze.

The year she's tackling friendship – supposedly. Friendship does feature in a couple of bits, including a twist-in-the-tale ending, but she's had a couple years off from the Fringe due to 'banging out children' and there’s no mistake this show is really about motherhood.

There's the usual smattering of witticisms, funny anecdotes, and even some jibes at fellow comedians (although in the most inoffensive form imaginable), but despite ticking all the boxes it doesn't add any new ones and it's material you could have guessed given five minutes and a napkin.

Motherhood loneliness, mum puns, wedding jokes, an extended routine that takes us from getting impregnated through purchasing a pram, feeling sexy while pregnant and through to mother-baby activities. Argh! Even daytime television gets a mention, and everything wrapped up in cuddles and loveliness and joy.

It almost tips over the edge during an Argos joke, the new stand-in for airline food. She reads some 'funny' reviews from the Argos website which are fairly amusing, but this is the sort of material you can see verbatim in the back of half the pubs in London on open mic night. It's done much better here, but does it really need to be done at all?

It's a testament to Porter's jaw-dropping talent that she can make an hour of this material enjoyable, and she does. Anyone else and I'd be frothing at the mouth, but she wields an innate ability to suspend your cynicism. There's a repeated impression of a ghetto-like child that'd ordinarily be unforgivable, but reality is distorted until you start thinking even that is funny in its own right.

This is Lucy Porter at her most mediocre; fans will love it and no doubt some newcomers will come away converts, but this is more going through the motions than a triumphant comeback.

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If you have seen her before (as I have) you know what you are getting. An Edinburgh show where her charisma adds a couple of stars to a show that is a bit overwritten. Enjoyed it - but it isn't earth shatteringly funny

Andy Barr, August 2009

Tries far too hard to be liked, rather than concentrating on her material.

jd, June 2009

Cute as a button, but not funny in the slightest. Light entertainment, not comedy. If you like ITV on a Saturday night she's probably right up your alley.

Ally, September 2008

Lovely, surprising, witty, lovely, outrageous, funny, lovely, topical. Did I say lovely?

Ray Girling, August 2008

Just saw Lucy for the second time, and most of it was new. Kudos for that, also for her stage presence - one minute she's silly and girlish, the next she's savage and churlish. Overall, damn fine stuff!

Michael Monkhouse, July 2008

Saw Lucy at Tunbridge Wells last night and we thought she was excellent. It was new material, and good stuff too, surely its better to watch somebody develop and take chances than just watch somebody going through the motions. Check her out at Edinburgh! Really funny show

Mark, July 2006

Lucy headlined in Harrogate last night, and sadly was somewhat disappointing. She never really got going. After a while she confessed that she was trying out new material for the Edinburgh festival, and then she ended up having to refer to her notes to guide her. While there was some funny material, none of it caught fire and had everyone laughing out loud. Can see she should be great; In future if she is experimenting, it would be nice if the show was advertised as such

Stew, July 2006

Saw her Edinburgh Preview tonight and you are in for an evening of warmth, hilarity and intelligence if you get to see it. Edgy material but never off-putting.

Paul Nelson, July 2006

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