Gig review by Steve Bennett at the Brighton Fringe

Leonie Rachel, Joann Condon and Ayshea Bravo say they formed their comedy group through the common bond of moaning about motherhood, growing old and casual sexism.

Their show pretty much hits the same themes, and there’s plenty here a middle-aged mum would identify with, from to trying to fix a social engagement in a manic diary to returning to work after maternity leave. But they often struggle to turn everyday scenes from their lives into great comedy sketches.

Scenes are played out with a wry raised eyebrow, but precious few are laugh-out-loud. Only occasionally do they add a clear comic twist or address their observations tangentially, while punchlines to draw a sketch to a neat, natural conclusion are few and far between.

Instead, it’s all pretty formulaic, from the spoof CBeebies story to that oldest of sketch faithfuls, a David Attenborough style voiceover treating a parent as if she were the subject of a wildlife documentary. 

The trio have a couple of nice ideas, most notably the mother taking Mr Potato Head on the school run as he’s so much more compliant than a real child, which at least takes a sideways look at the topic rather than going predictably head-on.

Just a couple of sketches in this under 40-minute show are not directly related to motherhood. And they, too, barely push the boat out, with a mini-rant against gentrification, like much of the rest of the show, going noplace new.

The performance is slightly stilted, too. Two-thirds of them are not natural actors – the exception being Condon, centre in the above picture, who’s an authentic working-class Londoner that EastEnders casting directors might want to check out. Also there’s minimal chance to show any chemistry, as the three are clearly performing a script very carefully, and don’t relax enough to have fun with it.

Alpha Mums Gone Wrong are certainly relatable, but they surely need more comic twists if they’re to hit the comedy motherlode.

Review date: 20 May 2018
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Brighton Caxton Arms