Review by Lucy Holz
Chloe Petts is an Edinburgh Fringe veteran at this point, and with two smash-hit runs under her belt, she’s come back for more. Her third show follows her experience with online trolling after a successful stint hosting her own football segment on Sky Sports.
Like any woman in the limelight, Petts has experienced her fair share of online vitriol. And her daring to wear trousers and Doc Martens hasn’t helped. To their credit, men on Twitter genuinely can’t hear what women are saying if they don’t want to have sex with them (it’s an unfortunate medical condition!)
Using this experience, paired with growing up as a closeted head girl, as a framework, Petts takes us on a heartwarming journey from childhood to star of her own TV segment. And somehow manages to make every single moment an absolute riot.
Petts owns the stage, using a glossary of relevant terms as a prop and a way to punctuate the show into perfectly proportioned segments of hilarity. With terms ranging from ‘chode’ (a tuna can penis) to ‘nominative determinism’ (her food tech teacher), this glossary is just one of the tools Petts employs to keep her audience in a constant state of mirth.
Super casual in her style and deliberate in her delivery, Petts creates the perfect melting pot of relatable and personal material. Ranging from the eroticism of getting your feet measured in Clark’s (a universal experience), to her questioning her gender identity, the audience hang on her every word, fully strapped in for the ride.
The show is flawless, and Petts is particularly impressive given the context of this particular performance. A fire alarm has caused a 20-minute delay to her start time, and audience members start leaving in the last quarter of her set to make it to other shows in their busy fringe schedules. Petts handles these constant disruptions admirably and despite being interrupted (again), a mere 2 minutes from the end, the show’s finale still packs a powerful punch.
Petts is an absolute must-see this festival and is my top pick of the fringe. Growing more powerful every year, her career is sure to skyrocket and you’ll always regret not getting those £15 tickets while you could.
Image Supplied