Anna Burnside reviews a production that is ‘charming, funny, warm’ and ‘subverts a sexist trope’.
Traditionally, to make a show of oneself is a bad thing. It implies drawing attention, making a fuss, putting on an unwarranted public display.
Men rarely make shows of themselves. Criticism for being loud and messy is reserved for women only.
In this charming one-woman show, masterful Irish storyteller Mary Kate O’Flanagan uses incidents from her colourful life to make an actual show that sits between stand-up comedy and theatre. Using nothing but words, she tells us four stories about her life, plus a bonus introduction about internet dating where one honeypie sent her this:
“Roses are red, violets are blue, you’re 38, I’m the best you can do.”
She swipes past quickly - the pain of profile writing is an overworked topic in Edinburgh this August - and moves on to a series of brilliantly structured and gently revealing stories about her life, her family and how she lost her voice then got it back again.
It’s charming, funny, warm, full of lessons without being either a therapy session or a lecture from a life coach. By getting up on stage and telling audiences her stories, O Flanagan subverts a sexist trope. She makes a show of herself in the best way possible.
Making a Show of Myself is at Just the Tonic at The Mash House until August 24, 2025.
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