Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Isobel Rogers demonstrates she can go deeper than many other comedy singer-songwriters when her opening song about self-care dares to raise the distinction between being selfish and looking after yourself.

It’s typical of the emotional intelligence she brings to this mature hour of whimsical musical storytelling, an apparently autobiographical analysis of where she is in life, including a detailed anatomy of a complex relationship.

The title has a double meaning, of course, depending on how the last word is stressed and Rogers reflects on the expectations many people feel to monetise every aspect of their existence via carefully curated social media posts. Ironic, given she’s charging admission for us to witness the version of herself she wants us to see. In one typically poetic song, she evocatively describes how she aspires to be a mysterious and aloof siren, a ‘headshot girl in black and white’.

She’s says she not very good at expressing feelings in real life, only through songwriting, while also insisting she’s not really as intense as she makes out on stage. But the witty, articulate and honest tracks certainly reflect a willingness to interrogate her personality.

The best numbers are the most exposing, revolving around her evolving relationship with her boyfriend. She initially portrays herself as an insecure, slightly controlling figure concerned by his continued contact with his ex. Although it turns out she might have had good reason to be suspicious when he suggests, to her shock, that polyamory might be the way forward. 

Meanwhile, she’s at the age where she’s never too far from a wedding, and an early, relatable song details the stresses and expenses of attending a friend’s big day, especially if it comes with a destination hens’ do. Many will know the sort of passive-aggressive maid of honour she describes – although we meet again later from a more sympathetic point of view, highlighting all the unacknowledged work she puts in.

The other big question at her age is whether ‘To Baby Or Not To Baby’  and the charismatic Rogers carefully weighs up the pros and cons, given there is so much else she wants to achieve – such as writing that hit West End musical. Women’s lives are governed by limitations, she muses, with the ticking of the body clock closing down options.

Naturally, she’s been in therapy – she’s a sensitive performer after all –  and the ballad to her analyst is virtually a love song, given how she’s become enamoured with someone who’ll really listen to her.

For anyone missing Isy Suttie’s soulfully amusing songs at the Fringe, Rogers’s wryly witty lyrics will definitely fill that gap. The tracks, while beguiling, do not generally pack a musical punch, nor are they a laugh-fest, but Roger’s emotional openness is seductive, eloquently and amusingly expressed through her sophisticated music.

Review date: 26 Aug 2024
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Pleasance Courtyard