Edinburgh Fringe review by Steve Bennett

Worrying that you’ve got too many tambourines in the house is pretty much the definition of a First World problem. Yet such concerns are the bread and butter of Vikki Stone’s Song Bird, as she seeks to make a virtue of tackling nothing of consequence.

One cornerstone of the hour, for example, is a celebration of the novelty single. The Birdie Song gives the musical comedian the inspiration for her title as well as an enjoyable waddle down memory lane for other examples of the much-maligned genre.

She would be forgiven for feeling an affinity with tunes that are looked down on artistically yet are hugely popular and make people feel good. For Stone is unfailingly entertaining with broad appeal, even if purists will be familiar with the tricks of musical comedy she deploys, from the super-short track to dodging the rhyme that sounds like it’s going to be a c-bomb.

Her musicianship and her performance skills are strong, expressively showing wide-eyed mania or exaggerated concern in her face as she belts out songs with range and power. The songs are of the everyday: cyberstalking, online dating and dick pics, her mum’s collection of ancient bottles of booze, owning a pet… Forget the big-screen version of Cats, Stone could be working on Dogs – and has a Les Mis-inspired showstopper ready to go.

This is in loving adoration of her cute cocker spaniel Bert. If he’s a fur-baby, Stone is the pushiest of middle-class stage mums, imagining him starring in Oliver! This routine is bit of a stretch but foreshadows later jokes as Stone bundles towards an irresistibly cheerful conclusion.

In fact, most of the stand-up routines that act as grouting between the tunes are spread a little thin, with a strong idea or joke at their core, but over-extended: whether its her mother-in-law not understanding veganism or the blunt-talking grandmother giving unfiltered, and unwanted, advice. But another routine drawing on her musical skills – teaching the audience how to clap along to songs appropriately as if in a remedial class – is typically jolly.

It’s all good fun from a woman who has entertainment coursing through her veins. The songs are a blast, and Stone’s friendly, upbeat delivery is faultless – especially if you’re seeking to disengage from a troubled world.

Review date: 16 Aug 2019
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Pleasance Courtyard