Review by Jason Stone

There are occasional glimpses of a decent stand-up routine during Chloe Philip's Accept Your Inner Plonker, but they are too infrequent for this to be an entirely satisfying show.

She constantly referred to her notes and her songs outstayed their welcome but these faults shouldn't be allowed to entirely tarnish her performance as she displays an attractive level of comic ability when she gets into her stride.

In fairness, there were problems that lay outside her control. One of the downsides of the Free Fringe is an uneasy vagueness about the limits of the auditorium, and a man sat at the bar behind the seats laid out for Philip's punters spoke more or less constantly to one of his companions. Philip didn't appear to notice but it was impossible for her audience to ignore and it would have been far better if she'd tackled the situation by bringing it into the show, even if it would have been a risk. Instead it was left to others to occasionally shush the man who appeared oblivious to their entreaties.

The best parts of Philip's set concern her love affair with a man who, according to her routine, worked as a stuntman for children. There was a darkness just beneath the surface in her description of him, which left it unclear whether he was afflicted by a genetic disorder that stunts the growth or whether he was merely on the short side – an ambiguity that worked in Philip's favour as it left the audience wondering about the appropriateness of their laughter. Sadly, a 'mistaken identity' punchline brought this strand to a tame conclusion and prevented it from being a great bit of material.

Philip's description of meeting two of her heroes while riding a mobility scooter had a similarly surreal edge. Her description of an alleged encounter with Russell Brand had moments of genuine funniness, but her anxious delivery held it back. Too often she gave the impression that standing in front of us made her feel awkward and she'd be quite relieved when it was all over. If she's not careful, the audience will tend to share that sentiment.

A spoof version of Dire Straits's Romeo And Juliet in which the lyrics had been adapted into a song about deceased pets was laboured and its length made it feel like padding. It, and a second song, interrupted rather than augmented the show and Philip needs to find a better way of incorporating her musical pieces if she wants to keep them in her set.

There were some good one-liners amid a nervous performance and if she learns to make more of her quirkiness, then Philip has a chance of a much more entertaining set.

Review date: 16 Aug 2010
Reviewed by: Jason Stone