Words: Elodie Marriott

3 stars

Fiona Ridgewell has a bubbly personality which makes the crowd warm to her instantly. Engaging with members of the audience, she seems genuinely interested, revisiting individuals throughout her set to ask for similar stories and opinions. 

Ridgewell paints a vivid picture of the friends and family closest to her, revealing their funny quirks and personality traits so that by the end, we feel like we know them too. She claims to be annoyed by people who are overly positive, though no one could describe her as even slightly pessimistic, since she still remains cheerful when discussing her breakup with a small man who was plagued by toxic masculinity.

Joking about the struggles of living at home in her 30s, she has numerous tales of her mother’s savage comments towards her appearance and character, which she re-tells with mock offense. Detailing all the self-help advice she’s been told, it’s clear something must have worked, as her easy-going attitude shines throughout.

She ends her set by inviting us to join her for a Disney brunch, except there’s no food, it’s just a sing-along with one man wearing a Frozen dress around his neck. It’s silly and high-spirited. Exactly what Fiona Ridgewell does best.

Fiona Ridgewell: No-Nonsense
PBH’s Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth, Chamber Room
13.10
21-27 Aug