Frankie Thompson has a list of horrible things, and no, they do not involve world hunger and child poverty (they were cut from the shortlist).
What makes Thompson’s list, however, is (told in no particular order): Jacob Rees-Mogg aged nine, a PowerPoint of Cliff Richard (who’s not AI but should be), and an audio clip of Christopher Hitchens explaining his sexual encounter with Margaret Thatcher—an obvious pick.
Arriving on stage in a dress only suitable for a Mad Hatter’s tea-party, Frankie Thompson educates us on these horrible things as if our lives depend on it. To aid our understanding, she lip-syncs audio clips, shows us pictures and videos from her handy PowerPoint, and uses the odd prop to give us visuals of the people she is impersonating.
At some things we laugh, at others we wince—when that happens, Thompson only reminds us, “I told you it would be horrible.”
As the poster child for “comedic performance art” this Fringe, Thompson is eager to involve her audience in the show’s absurdity. So be warned! If you see Frankie Thompson: Horrible Things, you must be prepared to sing with Shelley Duval, sit on Thompson’s lap, or even be fake-stabbed and sent out of the theatre (don’t worry, she’ll bring you back in).
I enjoyed each new, fantastically horrible thing that Thompson introduced to her audience, so much so I would have liked to see more of them packed into the show. This would have prevented, at times, the horrible sketch she was enacting from dampening in energy and laughs after the main premise of it had been performed.
Thompson’s best sketches were those that made use of stage props, the most notable being whipped-cream moustaches and Frank Sinatra hats. I will not mention any more spoilers than that, as I feel the best way to enjoy the Frankie Thompson: Horrible Things experience is to go in blind.
Whatever you might anticipate or think of this show, it cannot be argued that Thompson is an incredible performer with an infectious energy that keeps audiences on their toes. I have no idea where her list of various things came from; that is the joy of her incredible, horrible imagination (and the internet).
Frankie Thompson: Horrible Things is playing until 30 August at Pleasance Beside. Buy tickets here.
Image provided by Soho Theatre as press material.
