Maisie may have changed her hairstyle, but she's still a naturally comedic tour-de-force.
She had no support act. She did the first half herself. She didn't use any prepared material (she didn't need to), spending the entire forty minutes doing crowd work. On paper, it sounded like standard stuff: What's your name? Where are you from? What do you do? Is this your partner? How did you meet? How long have you been together? - the kind of thing a support act relies on to pad time. She made it consistently funny. I laughed a lot during this section, mainly due to one gem of an audience member, one the geologist in the front row would have appreciated as it took the heat off him. What was most surprising, though, was that this person was not in the front row or even close to the front but was, in fact, at the back.
Marcus, from Pocklington (but living in Glasgow), trained in Contemporary Performance Practice (wanky theatre) at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland but was now working in the gift shop at the Science Museum, whose best-seller is bouncy balls. His simpering voice filled the room without the need for amplification. His every reply was naturally absurd. When asked to give an example of what CPP was, he told us that for his final exam, he dressed as a werewolf and performed cabaret. Are you dressing up as a werewolf for Halloween? Maisie asked. "No, unfortunately, the Halloween party has a witch theme. My costume has a witchy / Victorian governess kind of vibe." At one point, you could have been forgiven for thinking they were a double act, and she was the straight person (no homophobia intended).
The second half was very much prepared material. And boy, can she pack a lot of words in. Her mouth hardly stopped. While many of her chosen topics were commonplace (babies, friendship groups, ageing parents, hen do's), her vivacious personality and comedic delivery sold it to the room. Showing a high degree of skill, many times she weaved in references to audience members, the Forth Valley becoming a running joke. I loved how far she extended her comparison of baby photos and dick pics. That was smartly observed writing.
I love that she loves her job and that she's so self-deprecating. I also loved how her spin on Michael Macintyre's The Wheel led to the amusing video finale, which I won't spoil. You'll have to witness that with your own mince pies.
On the basis of tonight's performance, I'd grade her appraisal as exceptional.
Blurb
Stand-up show Maisie Adam: Appraisal will tour between September and November 2024.
The comedian's promoters say: "After her previous completely sold out, highly acclaimed debut tour, and fresh from hosting Live At The Apollo and appearances on A League Of Their Own and Have I Got News For You, Maisie Adam is heading back out on tour with her brand new show, Appraisal.
"It's been a meteoric rise through the comedy ranks for Maisie and she's fast on her way to becoming a household name. Stand-up is what she loves most and she's now five years into her job as a comedian, so perhaps she's due an appraisal. Appraisal will be the ultimate performance review, where we'll see just why she was awarded Best New Act and nominated Best Newcomer...or, is she heading towards an 'organisational restructure'?"
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