| One to watch out for |
REALITY-CHECK |
| Eirlys Bellin , Edinburgh Fringe 2007 , September 7, 2007 |
Rhian Davies is a self-styled 'prime mentalist', a Welsh wannabe who is desperate to get famous, particularly after her mum kopped off with her boyfriend. She is an expertly crafted comic creation from Eirlys Bellin, a skilled performer who employs all the right tricks to get the audience (a good audience on the day of the review) in the mood - call and response, a bouncy start and well-delivered audience interaction. As Davies, Bellin is in Edinburgh to give tips on how to 'live the dream' of a reality television star. She likes reality television, does Davies, as it means that there are now actual people acting at the Fringe who she has heard of - Christine Hamilton and Les Dennis. She does not like theatre. It is a well-crafted show with her 'lecture' taking place around a series of real-life events that she has filmed - notably auditioning for Big Brother, being invited to appear on Trisha and trying to blag her way into a swanky London nightclub to meet footballers. And here it is frightening. While Davies is a gloriously grotesque comic creation, desiring fame only for the lifestyle and celebrating her political incorrect nature (she has no time for the disabled or the foreign), it is when she meets some actual real life 'Rhians' that the social commentary of Bellin's show comes to the fore, not to mention the depth of characterisation she has achieved. Bellin as Davies is Keith Barrett's annoying little sister, and while the show lacks that final (ironically) x-factor that would put it up among the big boys, she has certainly marked herself out as one to watch. |
Reviewed by: THE STAGE - JEREMY AUSTIN |
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