★★
People never sit in the front row, which I think is a bit disrespectful to the performer, so I enthusiastically took my place inches from the stage. Big mistake. Isabella immediately went for me with a ‘Did your dad fuck the nanny?’, and a bit taken aback by the provocation replied ‘no, because I’m not middle-class’. Isabella then referred to my ‘class hatred’ every couple of minutes for the rest of the show, which was a bit uncomfortable. I don’t know if that’s the intent of Charlon’s style. But I was thoroughly engaged by her tale of her Barrister fathers’ infidelities, her mother’s hopeless romanticism and the way she then handled her first relationships. The fact that her father’s indiscretions ended up in Private Eye was surreal and required an audience member to help with an improvision. Surely, I wasn’t going to be a sucker for punishment? Wrong. She asked, ‘What do you do?” I said, ‘I’m the reviewer’, which actually got a big laugh. I had to play Isabella’s father, whilst she sort of played the nanny. She kept calling ‘Improvise’ – I had no idea what to do, but we got through it.
Isabella’s show is compelling and does address the inheritance of dysfunctional parents and how we navigate relationships. I don’t know if I was in the mood to be so constantly provoked, but it may be a show for those who like their stand-up with a lot more punch.
