Don’t wear make up to this show. Absolutely, definitely not. Not only will you find yourself wondering why you spend so much money on something so pointless, but you will be brought to tears at least once – perhaps twice, if you count tears of laughter too.
Stone manages to create an honest and unflinching picture of how we see ourselves. It isn’t always pretty, but it’s true.
Katherine Vince has a strong stage presence: unflinching eye contact, perfectly straight face and unwavering confidence. This makes her thoroughly engaging to watch, though the fake posh voice she puts on does grate after a while. Even when acting losing control, it’s clear she is in command of the show and knows what she is doing.
Though the performance is threaded through with recordings of her conversations with her nephews, it isn’t until the very end that their relevance becomes clear. It is enjoyable watching her being silly and poking fun at beauty products and her earring collection, but I did spend a good while wondering what this all had to do with the nephew of the title.
Much of the show is taken up with ridiculing our obsession with our appearances: the cost of make-up, the fallibility of magic beauty products and exercise regimes all suffer under writer-director Claire Stone’s sharp eye for humour. However, she isn’t always on the mark. Some jokes could do with restructuring and pruning back and, quite frankly, I’d like to see that wig in the bin.
Painting herself in lurid make-up and dancing around the stage only gets her so far – it is when the show becomes personal that it is poignant and at its most interesting. Cue the nephews. Through personal experience and the experience of others, Feral Foxy Ladies manage to create an honest and unflinching picture of how we see ourselves. It isn’t always pretty, but it’s true. And that’s what makes this show worth watching.
