Martha McBrier: A Wee Bit About A Lot Of Things 

Martha McBrier does improvised comedy – very skilfully and with apparent ease. She has a remarkable approach. She doesn’t work with a microphone and she spends most of her time amongst the audience. The first few minutes were the only scripted part of the show when she occupied the stage and told jokes about the show’s title.

She does have a number of props to act as catalysts for her improvisation, namely a bobbin of cotton thread, a selection of topic cards and a crystal ball. Each of these props has a part to play in achieving an audience bonding. She moves from person to person seeking responses and then running with them – plenty of good natured banter but she has the presence to keep control. Thus, since no two audiences are ever the same, each show will be quite different. The night I saw her, the comedy worked successfully. Members of the audience entered into the spirit, giving her good lines to work with, and bonding as a group in her finale.

One of the measures of the enjoyment of a show is how soon the hour seems to pass. In Martha McBrier’s case, the hour appeared to flash by much too quickly.   

****

Ben

Fringe Programme Page No

p76

Company

Martha McBrier

Venue Name and Number

GB Teviot  Sportsmans  V14     (c25)

Dates and Times

30th  July  to  25th  August  20:00  to  21:00

Comedy 2008

Music 2008

Others 2008

Theatre 2008

Musicals 2008

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