Talking to Strangers – 16 August 2016, Edinburgh Fringe Festival
“Smack the Pony”, the late 90s Channel 4 sketch show is one of my two favourite sketch shows of all time (the other one I will be seeing live later this year) so I couldn’t miss the chance to see one of it’s hilariously brilliant stars Sally Phillips perform, alongside actress Lily Bevan, Talking to Strangers yesterday at this years’ Edinburgh Fringe Festival, even staying an extra night in order to do so.
Sally has come along way since her adventures with Miranda Hart and Bridget Jones to reach Scotland and in this live show, based on her and Lily’s Radio 4 Show in which, through comic monologues, a range of characters engage in the very un-British habit of talking to strangers.
Well written and well performed, the audience act as the strangers Sally and Lily are talking to as they take it in terms to take on the personas of memorable characters from Sally’s hilarious relationship therapist and Swedish conference attender to Lily’s extension on the classic Smack the Pony falconery sketch and reminder that us females are all awful at leaving answerphone messages.
Talking to Strangers is the funniest show I saw at this year’s Fringe, and I was lucky to be in the middle of the front row for it, and I highly recommend it to fans of the Radio 4 series and anyone who enjoys sketch comedy and doesn’t want to miss the rare chance to see Sally Phillips at her funniest live on stage. However fans of Bette Midler may want to avoid it as you will never be able to listen to her sing “Wind beneath your wings” in the same light again.
You can see Sally and Lily live at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival for one week only until Sunday 21 August at the Assembly George Square Studios. Tickets range from £11.50-£14 and can be booked in person at the box office, on 0131 226 0000 or at edfringe.com.