Review by Steve Bennett

Mary Lynn Rajskub’s biggest claim is playing Chloe in 24, a fast-paced, action-packed adrenaline-pumping thrill ride.

Her stand-up show is not like that. Not at all

This is a low-key affair, unhurriedly pondering the loneliness of a long-distance comic and the depressive feelings caused by a moribund relationship with her uncommunicative husband. The tone is of a moody indie drama movie – imagine lingering shots of her walking miserably along a freeway or staring uncertainly at the man she married down a long, clinical corridor as a whimsical soundtrack kicks in.

What it isn’t, is particularly funny, not for the most part. Rather it wallows in the uncomfortable feelings of a woman troubled by her life choices. Her marriage came about after an unexpected pregnancy three months into a relationship, while she’s far from convinced that she made the right decision to face the isolation of life on the road after being the pampered star of a major TV series.

Rajskub begins the show with an uneasy energy, not helped by the false start caused by her intro tape malfunctioning, but it’s hard for the audience to relax as she veers between the enthusiastic and the downbeat. A routine explaining in detail how tedious Little House On The Prairie is as book doesn’t help, either.

Then there’s an interlude for the 24 fans. She has a peculiar relationship with the show, clearly using it to sell tickets – can’t blame her for that – then having to explain, for the avoidance of doubt, that this is a stand-up show, not some convention Q&A. She doesn’t seem to want to mention it, but she does, either in relationship to some of the more vehement fans she’s encountered, or how it got her an invitation to the Golden Globes – probably the funniest segment of the show, even if it ends rather sadly.

When we eventually get to the meat of the story, about half an hour in, things start to get more absorbing after a minor breakdown in a hotel suite and an unlikely turn of events involving a miniature horse. The yarn is not especially funny, nor aiming to be, but it holds the attention while giving an insight into her confused mental state, the uncertainty seeping into the story and leaving plenty of unanswered questions. That means it’s hard to know quite what to make of this muted storytelling oddity.

Review date: 11 Aug 2016
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Assembly George Square