Catriona Knox has earned her comedy stripes – as one third of sketch group The Boom Jennies she’s appeared on BBC Radio Four’s Sketchorama, and also with them in their very own Radio Four sitcom Mission Improbable. In addition to this she has brought her own one woman sketch show to the Edinburgh Fringe since 2011 to critical acclaim, with her 2013 show ‘Player’ playing until 25th August in the Pleasance Attic at 3.15pm each day.
As energetic as a Tasmanian devil, Knox’s skill lies in both her superb physicality and characterisation, as well as her innate ability to read an audience and get them to trust her. Knox’s personality shines through this hour which is packed full of good old fashioned sillness and snappy sketches which deftly illustrate her ability for accents, showcasing a Spanish dancer, nymphomaniac Jane Austen character and scandalised French teacher.
It was in this French teacher sketch that all the elements of Knox's performing skills came together. She descended on an unsuspecting audience member to involve him in the sketch – the poor bloke was ostensibly about to take his GCSE French oral exam and was invited to discuss the life and work of Emile Zola. Knox deftly led the essentially improvised sketch in flawless Franglais, and easily elicited some comedy gold from her surprisingly willing victim.
If you’re uncomfortable with audience interaction this might not be the show for you, as there’s a high chance you could get pulled in to be part of a sketch, but this is precisely what keeps the show interesting and exciting towards the end of an Edinburgh run – there were a number of people in the audience seeing it for the second or third time.
Whilst some of the material perhaps was a little dated – her Strictly Come Dancing sketch would have seemed fresher a year ago – Knox’s charm was enough to make up for it. I caught the show 19 days into the Edinburgh run and by this time it was taught, tight and honed to perfection. Catch it if you still can.
****
Courtney Cooke
Catriona Knox: Player is on at the Pleasance Courtyard until 25th August. Book tickets HERE
