Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Sarah Cameron-West’s comedic storytelling explores a rollercoaster of emotions, often landing on female rage, while performing an amusing tale about break-ups and office show-downs. 

Her character has just been dumped by Joe, her boyfriend of four years, only to be replaced by Karen, her workplace nemesis. Neither Joe nor Karen, are present in the room when she speaks to them, instead existing as invisible and silent characters. It doesn’t make the show seem lacking in any way - in fact, it's what makes it so captivating. 

Cameron-West’s acting is so engaging that their absence is barely noticeable. Instead she maintains eye contact, for impressively and humorously uncomfortable lengths of time, with different audience members when addressing these non-existent characters. Her talent as a performer is unimpeachable, as through one-sided conversations - such as at Alton Towers, where she cries about the universal experience of having engagement-photo-ready-nails – we follow a story that is honest, raw, and at times awkward, all the while interspersed with moments of laughter.

Finding a red thong with Karen’s name sewn into it sends Cameron-West into an emotional breakdown, her rage palpable. In a rather emotional speech, she insists that she can dress better and get fitter if Joe takes her back - yet she also manages to find the humour in these moments, poking fun at herself as she dances in the red thong that does not belong to her.

We are taken on a journey of how the woes of breakups are painful in the moment, but laughable later on, as she accidentally orders Joe’s take-out order alongside her own, spiralling about what the audience can see is an innocent mistake.

The show is two-toned - honest and sad and painful, but also darkly funny and cathartic. In an act that is laugh-out-loud, Western music blares out  and red lights flash as Cameron-West screams her innermost rageful thoughts about Karen, before all returns to normal, and she puts her calm facade back on. She exposes something that we all experience - hiding our angry thoughts - and lets it out for us to laugh about it. 

Her character’s humorous attempts to date are wryly funny, producing well-known scenes of a date who won’t let her get a word in edgeways, being stood up, or, perhaps the worst, a date being more interested in her sister than her.

For a one-woman show, Karen it cleverly explores turbulent relationships, not only when dating, but also through toxic phone calls with her mother, and wine-nights with a friend - when an audience member is truly pulled into the story, given a wine glass as act as a placeholder for this character.

Apt words to describe this entire hour would be a ‘cathartic comedy’ - it’s laugh-out-loud at times, but the majority of its humour comes from the exploration, and exaggeration of painful universal experiences.

The finale certainly feels this way, as Cameron-West - enraged by Karen and Joe’s engagement - finally says ‘fuck you’ to the couple, causing a huge and hilarious spectacle at work. A speech about needing to shout, but also needing to be heard, is beautiful and moving, and the perfect way to end this show. 

Review date: 26 Aug 2023
Reviewed by: Kashmini Shah
Reviewed at: Greenside @ Riddles Court