Catherine Tate

Original Review:

This is character comedy at its best.

Edinburgh audiences had a taste of Catherine Tate's substantial talents in last year's Perrier-nominated Lee Mack show, where her gloriously rancid pensioner, especially, threatened to steal an already brilliant show

The good news is that the foul-mouthed geriatric makes a welcome return in this splendid collection of vignettes. The better news is that this hilarious creation isn't even the best thing in this delightful show.

That honour goes to the unabashed bitchy and drunken bride. Or perhaps to the randy nurse with the one-track mind. Or maybe the immensely irritating Essex girl squawking about the tedious minutae of her dull day.

No, there's so much to enjoy here, it's hard to pick out favourites. Each beautifully drawn creation is as believable and funny as the last, and every laugh true to the character.

And it's not all the gentle humour of observation. Some killer one-liners arise from these vitriolic and self-obsessed characters.

The only disappointment is the opening sketch, based around a pompous drag artist regaling theatrical anecdotes, which somehow fails to have the bite evident in subsequent scenes.

But overall, this is a fine showcase for an undeniably brilliant comedy actress.

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