Review by Hilary Wardle

Sam Lloyd is very easy to overlook. He played the lawyer in Scrubs, but if he looks familiar that could just as easily be down to the fact he’s the nephew of Back To The Future star Christopher Lloyd. He was also in Flubber, but we’ll gloss over that.

However, if Sam’s performance in Fully Committed is anything to go by, his ‘hovering in the background’ status might be about to change. Fully Committed is a one-man play in which Lloyd takes on multiple parts as he narrates a day in the life of a struggling young actor who works in the reservations department of a famous five-star restaurant.

As well as being extremely funny, it’s also very stressful to watch and – at times- quite emotionally draining. Anyone who’s ever held down a demanding, virtually impossible low-paid job won’t be able to sit through the show without wincing in recognition as Sam firstly fields a call from his boss announcing that he won’t be coming in that day before ploughing through a series of conflicting phone calls from increasingly rude guests. He also has to cope with the odd behaviour of celebrity chef Jean-Claude, a man as pompous as he is dictatorial.

All these characters are portrayed in different voices and accents, and Sam’s characterisation skills vividly bring each character to life, from his own father – disappointed that he might not be able to make it home for Christmas- to the irksome Mrs Seabag who won’t accept that she forgot to reserve a table, right through to Naomi Campbell’s ultra camp and chirpy assistant Bryce, who repeatedly calls back with increasingly outrageous demands.

It’s surprisingly gripping and, though 90 minutes seems quite long for a Fringe show, it flies by thanks to Sam Lloyd’s unflagging energy and impressive acting skills.

Review date: 19 Aug 2013
Reviewed by: Hilary Wardle