Energetic, surprising and (of course) incredibly funny, Lucy Pearman’s new show Fruit Loop is simply excellent.
A far cry from a traditional stand-up of quickfire jokes or observational storytelling, Pearman offers us something ‘off the wall’ and completely different.
A smorgasbord of quirky characters and surreal situations, it’s the story of a little worm’s desire to fly and the discovery of whether she ever will. In true road-trip style we meet helpers and hinderers along the way; some maternal grapes, a hearing-impaired potato, the early bird (trying desperately to catch the poor worm), a dodgy taxi driver, and more besides.
Told in a series of sketches – giving each character a slice of centre stage, Pearman paints a vivid picture and she has such energy and charisma that it’s a joy to be taken along for the ride. A good job really, as many of the scenes require assistance. Audience assistance.
It’s a risky move as I think we can all think of a time when a performer stepped off the stage and cajoled someone into an uncomfortable situation and I certainly can remember how sorry I felt for them having their evening invaded. Not so with Fruit Loop. Pearman’s choice of story (a disarming child-like tale) and her honest, infectious enthusiasm combine to form such a soft technique to get people involved that it never really feels uncomfortable at all. A definite success and something that may hopefully spark a trend towards more benevolent methods in the art form generally.
I do wonder what Pearman does if she ever gets a particularly difficult audience that refuses to engage? With so much of the show needing a little nudge from the crowd, I would expect that there is some kind of backup plan and it may be that the story itself is a simplistic one to give space for a re-write in exactly that kind of emergency. I’ll certainly never know, and I hope nobody ever has to find out.
Fruit Loop comes across as having been crafted with care and a more than usual attention to detail – from the varying worm and owl props that are used to give a sense of differing scale, to the seamless movements between live narrative and recorded music/speech – and is undoubtedly an hour well spent.
Take a walk on the wacky side and get ready to get involved. Your face may end up hurting from smiling too much but I don’t think you’ll regret it.
Review by Damien Russell
After a sell-out run and critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Lucy Pearman returns to Soho Theatre with the story of a worm who has completely misunderstood her existence.
Arts Council England
United Agents presents
LUCY PEARMAN: FRUIT LOOP
Mon 26 Nov – Sat 1 Dec 2018
https://sohotheatre.com/