 Joan Rivers is without a doubt the biggest
name appearing at this year’s Fringe.
This makes her show ‘Joan Rivers: A Work in Progress by a
Life in Progress’ one of the hottest tickets in town.
On the afternoon I reviewed there was a full audience in
attendance and although they varied in age it has to be said the
majority seemed to veer slightly more towards the ‘mature’ end
of the scale. Some may
have been familiar with her work and jumped at the chance to see her
live whereas others may have simply turned up to see the ‘big
name’ in person. Personally,
I admit a mixture of both. The
good thing about the Fringe is that it sometimes throws up the
opportunity to see big names in small venues, and it would be
madness to pass up such an opportunity.
But what about the show?
Was it any good? Well
. . . yes. Very good in
fact. The show is a
theatrical piece and the action takes place in a dressing room as
Rivers gets ready for her latest red carpet role.
As she is worked on she breaks away from the other actors to
speak directly to the audience about her experiences in showbusiness
thus far, allowing us an insight into life through a Hollywood lens.
Rivers’ acidic wit is readily displayed through the
material she delivers however what is more surprising is the seam of
tragedy which also underlies her storytelling.
Fame may be sought after by many but apparently it rewards
very few, even those who could be considered to have ‘made it’.
It’s an utterly riveting show. So much so that even when the microphones went 20 minutes
before the end, leaving the audience struggling to hear, nobody
left. Instead a hush
fell across those gathered as we all listened intently to Rivers’
moving monologue. The superficiality of fame has never had more substance
behind it.
*****
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