Words: Libby Taylor
Image: Ella Muir

4 stars

House Party has so much potential. It brings a nostalgia for house parties and allows the audience to let off steam by comedically addressing a topic we all love to chat about: rising house prices. The script has so many brilliant one-liners, but there are often London-centric references, which are generally lost on an
international Fringe crowd. Whilst this is a critique which is geographically determined, a universal challenge to the show is the lack of clarity as to why it was performed in the medium of theatre. Chakira Alin spends a lot of the time pacing almost subconsciously whilst telling stories with observational humour and caricatures. At moments it felt like a stand-up gig. Perhaps it would be more successful as a comedy routine.

Whilst the set makes the most of the small space and instantly gives the idea of the aftermath of a party, with how infrequently it is interacted with, it would be interesting to remove it. Alin felt slightly reserved in her characterisation of a house party fanatic, but after one of her jokes went down well, for a moment, her confidence seemed to rise and stage presence grew. By making this show a stand-up (or making her element of spoken word performed over a house party playlist as a guide for the whole piece), this would give Alin the chance to really develop her characterisation and improve her comedic timing, embracing the pauses and the punchlines.

House Party
Attic @ Pleasance Courtyard
15.20
11-25 Aug