4 stars

Words: Nat Chanse
Image: Jikshaw

“My cheeks actually hurt from laughing,” said the woman in the bright Lucy & Yak dungarees to my left, after Rosie Jones’ hour-long set at the Pleasance Cabaret Bar. This remark hit the nail on the head as a perfect testimony to the set: colourful and painfully funny.

Jones’ powerful stage presence was immediate, an attractive blend of cheeriness, cheekiness and charm. She knows how to work the crowd, opening the show like a rockstar rallying for a louder applause – which she won easily. Don’t let this praise fool you into thinking the set is overly sweet; Jones brings a sharp edge that prevents it from becoming cloying. She bites back (Darren you better watch out).

The narrative weaves a tale of self-discovery as a double-box ticker (disabled and gay), chronic singlehood and failing miserably at Taskmaster. Tales left on a cliffhanger are expertly picked up, with the final 15 minutes tying up all loose ends. Unfortunately, whilst structurally intelligent, this is where the momentum slows and the set slouches towards sluggish territory. Rest assured, however, that Jones is too much of a pro not to end on a whammy. Like our Lucy & Yak-clad friend, your cheeks will hurt from laughing by the end.

Rosie Jones: I Can’t Tell What She’s Saying
Cabaret Bar at Pleasance Courtyard
16.00
5-30 Aug