Contrary to what the title of the show might make you believe, this is an extremely meaningful show. Jen Brister is in her 40’s, angry and she’ll tell you all about it if you let her, and maybe even if you don’t.
Under the guise of telling us about her family – her twin sons and her Spanish mum – Jen drops some powerful truths about today’s society – while putting the work in to fight against the patriarchy and call out the privilege experienced by the white middle class. I can’t tell you how many shows I’ve seen spanning similar themes over the past year, as these are very much regular presences in the news cycle, but Meaningless manages to feel fresh and poignant. And even more importantly, she does it in a fun way that brings the audience along.
Performers commitment to their physical and vocal choices as a way to illustrate their ideas is one of the things that gives that little bit of extra pleasure to an audience, and the way Jen Brister delivers her impressions of the members of her family, the people in the street and the general public are very, very funny. The sold-out room at the Monkey Barrel was smitten, and the laughter kept on coming, even when the points being made might have been capable of making the more sensitive people uncomfortable. At the end of the show, that finished a little later as it proved challenging to get everyone settled inside in time for start time, there was no feeling of rush to get to the next show as Jen had invited everyone into her story and made them feel very welcome.
★★★★
Jen Brister: Meaningless is at the Monkey Barrel at 13:45 until 26th August (except the 15th). For tickets and more information click here!
Our coverage of the Edinburgh Fringe comes to you with the support of Starling Bank, the mobile-only bank that takes your money seriously. Through their campaign #MakeMoneyEqual, Starling is promoting the often difficult conversations about money and giving women a voice.
