If we had been in America last night then you would have been forgiven for thinking that what we were about to have served up by the appropriately named Tamar Broadbent, in her Transatlantic sounding show ‘Almost Epic’, would contain some hard drinking, Harley Davidson riding, leather clad, freewheeling, all American country and western music!
But there was no spit and sawdust and this was not some bar in Austin, Texas. Instead we are in the Lounge Studio at the Leicester Square Theatre, central London and the accents are all terribly British, except for the gentleman sitting next to me who looked as if he had booked a ticket for an entirely different experience! Not surprising as Tamar, all tousled blonde hair and sparkling smile, is working her magic the minute the audience enters the room. She goes on to own the space with an energetic and upbeat performance which has undoubtedly benefited from a run at the Edinburgh Fringe this August.
Whilst appearances and show title may have initially deceived me and my companion, it did not disappoint in terms of entertainment value. Indeed, I enjoyed the deception and the fact that this is a very British performance.
The show is a biographical account of Tamar’s quest to get a record deal and we are asked to be complicit in the process as she is expecting a Skype call from an LA producer in the last 10 minutes of the show. We have to cheer, clap, work the smoke, wind and bubbles for best pop music video effect while she belts out the non PC lyrics of the "almost epic" song that she hopes will lead to fame, glory and a world tour.
It's a rollercoaster ride of musical comedy, witty banter with the audience and well presented comedy content. Tamar is an engaging talented presence and pulls in personal experience, members of her family and a celebrity ‘appearance’ to good effect.
Go see – check out Tamar's website HERE for future dates.
Lynne Parker
