I have to confess that I’d never heard of Isy Suttie before last night, but having been considerably charmed by her – not to mention her show – I have since discovered that she evidently has something of a following back in the UK. Her profile has flourished through live gigs (which I’ve obviously not seen), as well as writing for the TV series Skins (which I never got around to watching), and acting in the cult sitcom Peep Show (which I’ve only vaguely heard of, despite its acclaim). Mild retroactive embarrassment over my ignorance notwithstanding, it was therefore quite a delight to experience such a versatile talent without any preconceptions whatsoever, and in her first Australian performance, no less.Indeed, Suttie and her act proved to be quite a disarming and unpredictable affair, presenting herself with a sweet, endearingly unpretentious persona and buoyant style that rendered her frequent forays into raunchy and even slightly dark humour a surprising juxtaposition. Guitar in hand, her self-introduction pretty much set this offbeat tone, describing her hometown of Matlock, Derbyshire as typically quaint and parochial, while also hosting the region’s second-highest rate of heroin addiction.
After a singularly hilarious non-sequitur in which she demonstrates her peculiar faculty for singing as though distorted by an echo in doing an impression of Amy Winehouse at the bottom of a well (!), Suttie launched into the main phase of her show, the titular narrative Love Lost in the British Retail Industry. Much like the collision of sweet and sour in her comedy, the show is a bit of a splicing of different performance styles, and although the Sydney Festival has seen fit to categorise it as theatre, it actually combines equal parts stand-up comedy, comedic singing (ala Tim Minchin or Geraldine Quinn) and a “one hander play”, the kind of theatre where a lone actor performs multiple characters in a solo show.
Lisa, a checkout chick with a bit of a history as the local goodtime girl, becomes smitten with Carl the new shelf-stacker and decides that for once she doesn’t want to be quite so “easy”. Carl is a bit of a reclusive dag and both are chronically tongue-tied on their first date, their romantic inner monologues amusingly contrasted with their awkward actual conversation. Along the way we also meet Alice’s pukka Fairy Godmother who attempts to help the romance along, as well as perhaps most memorably an obnoxious American indie singer who describes her music as an unlikely cross between Avril Lavigne and Alanis Morissette, examples of which Suttie rather impressively (and uproariously) belts out.
The tale is essentially a simple love story with no major subversive twists, and its bizarre little detours are fleeting. What’s ultimately most enjoyable is the way she tells it, with distinct voices for her various well-observed characterisations (apart from one self-acknowledged-as-awful attempt at an Aussie accent, but we’ll forgive her that), a process clearly bolstered by her various hats as a writer, actress and comedienne.
With the storytelling over and returning to more of a stand-up style, the tail end of her show meandered a little aimlessly while singing in several unconvincing accents. Speaking personally though, I really can’t complain as she decided to work the room at this point and mainly focused on me – evidently unaware that the chap she was getting a little flirty with was actually her reviewer! All part of the act, I’m sure, but quite enjoyable nevertheless.
With an apparently sold-out show Isy Suttie’s reputation would appear to have preceded her amongst those with their fingers closer to the pulse of British comedy than mine, so it would seem that my recommendation here is almost superfluous. But if you can manage to snap up a wayward ticket then do so by all means, as her show is well worth it – an original, beguiling piece of dramatic comedy from a quirky and endearing performer.
2010 Sydney Festival
Love Lost in the British Retail Industry
Isy Suttie
Venue: Downstairs Theatre, Seymour Centre | The University of Sydney, Cnr City Rd and Cleveland St, Chippendale
Dates: January 16, 17, 19 - 23 at 8.30pm
Duration: 60mins, no interval
Tickets: $30
Bookings: Seymour Theatre Centre 02 9351 7940 | Sydney Festival 1300 668 812 | Ticketmaster 1300 723 038
Web: www.sydneyfestival.org.au/suttie