Jake Mace
A combination of warm, soulful storytelling and well-crafted quips is at the heart of Love / Less of a Man – the comedy double bill from Isabella Pip and Jess Elgene. Both sets address the intricacies of love, loving others, identity, and how the lovers in our live can make us both affirm our identities and take on new elements to them as we traverse the ups and downs of intimacy. Endearing, frank, and performed by two totally charismatic and engrossing comedians, this double bill amplifies some of the very best of storytelling-comedy at the Fringe this year.
Pip sets out the course they expected the life to take – Queer relationships, travelling the world – so what happens when they find themselves in a situation-ship with a supposedly heterosexual Frenchman in Paris? Pip subverts our expectations of what Queer romance can look like with characteristic charm and a buoyant approach to their identity. The story of how Pip, and their lover’s, identities lost their fixed nature and became something more fluid, and infinitely more enjoyable, delivers a powerful punch.
Pip is never afraid to poke fun at the unusual and unexplored corners of our Queer identities, and their self-awareness leaves a big imprint on both the stories they tell and the audience they tell it too. Their entirely un-cynical, devoting, romantic comedy style gives way to burgeoning meaning with lots of laughs along the way. Though Pip does occasionally trip over their words, we always feel comfortable in their hands, and that is testimony to an authentic Queer voice that shines through.
As Jess Elgene arrives on stage, you can feel a tangible shift in atmosphere among the audience. Elgene has an immediately commanding presence and at the outset looks to lift the audience up with a beaming smile and high energy performance. The two performance styles contrast and compliment each other in different ways, but the double bill want us to know that this show is a patchwork of stories about two things – what it means to have a Trans identity and what it means to love. The moments that those two things intersect, are what deliver the poignant notes of the storytelling.
Elgene carefully weaves two original songs in between her tale of coming out as a Trans woman in the United States, how her wife supported her along the way, and what her life looks like now. While this follows a relatively standard storytelling structure, the pure passion and razor-sharp wit that Elgene delivers keeps you clinging onto her every breath. Jess is frank, honest, and whip-smart funny about the events of her life, and this leads to a powerful rising crescendo in the emotional final song.
Recommended Drink: Grab a glass of Red Wine with your new French lover!
You can catch Love / Less of a Man at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall – Theatre 2, until August 17th from 23:00. Tickets are available through the EdFringe Box Office.
Phoebe Bakker
