Alyssa Kyria: A Spark In The Dark
Note: This review is from 2006
Alyssa suffers from standing on the same stage in the same
venue that last year hosted Laura Solon's brilliant Perrier -winning
show.
Laura Solon's show was a masterclass in how to write and perform
a series of character monologues. Alyssa's characters are far
less subtly drawn and performed.
So we have a loud audience member with a mobile phone, a female
clearly copied from Ali G doing an X-Factor audition, a self-loathing
woman calling to employ a hit man kill her
It all tends towards caricature rather than characterisation
and I suspect Alyssa is more performer than writer.
However - and it is a big however in the final character
of a pregnant hillbilly singer in an extravagant wig performing
a rousing knees-up of a song, Alyssa absolutely bloomed. She
suddenly became a potential star. My jaw dropped.
My guess and I could be wrong is that Alyssa is
trying to create and perform a subtle 9pm BBC Two comedy show
which would get well-reviewed in the broadsheets and much smarmed
about in the Groucho Club, but get low ratings. But she actually
has the potential to be a Saturday evening peaktime performer
in the Ant & Dec area - with giant ratings.
My advice: forget Oxbridge reviewers. Come back next year
with a Daily Mirror wham-bam populist show. To hell with subtlety.
Go OTT and become a star.
John Fleming
Review date: 1 Jan 2006
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett