Review by Steve Bennett

In Stephanie Vange, Abbie Murphy has affectionally created a credible character from an archetype that’s usually grossly exaggerated: the young Essex girl.

Yes, her hours are dominated by drinking and clubbing and clothes and celebrities and waxing and tanning and hair extensions, but you rather feel for her drifting through a life of empty distractions.

The poky attic room of the Counting House is transformed into her bedroom, strewn with clothes as she prepares to go out, nattering away to us about all that’s going on in her vacuous world with a conversation littered with ‘basically, babe, innit literally amaze-balls…’. Yet the language, like the performance, is naturalistic, not just a condescending parody.

In the writing, Murphy can’t dodge all of the clichés of that lifestyle, but when she prods about around it, there are scenes of delight. The one-sided phone call with her father is a lovely display of entitlement as she whines at the injustice of having her allowance cut now she’s moved back home. There are a couple of particularly effective visual gags, too, including a presentation of aggressive twerking fuelled by jealousy.

The hour is slow to become laugh-aloud funny – although it does get there – but instead mostly works as an amusing, subtly-drawn portrait of character you enjoy spending time with. It is a great calling card for Murphy, whose credits in the seven years since she got a drama diploma have been sparse.

What shines through is Stephanie’s unaffected optimism – she generally believes good things will happen to her; she just needs the break that maybe her YouTube video will provide. But she’s not just a dumb blonde, her lack of guile is endearing.

How peculiar that a comedy character is more believable than the ‘real’ people of Towie.

And as a bonus you also get two shows for one – sound bleed in this venue is so appalling you hear almost every word of the boisterous show next door, which can’t help but spoil the mood Murphy who delicately creates.

Review date: 13 Aug 2014
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Laughing Horse @ The Counting House