I’ll level with you here, I didn’t understand a lot of that. But I liked it. ChiffChaff purports to be a musical that will explain economics to us lesser mortals, guided by Elf Lyons who is in turn guided by her father, the economist Gerard Lyons who apparently doesn’t mind being consistently described as ‘a potato with my face’.
I’m pretty sure however education-wise most people come away with little more than the correct way to pronounce Keynes. I’d say really this is a love letter to Elf’s father, or an apology for going down the Poor Artist route rather than follow in his footsteps. Which, as the daughter of an automotive engineer, I identify with. Not that I’d have much luck getting into the Great British car industry now.
Interspersed with recordings of Gerard being interviewed by his daughter and explaining with great love (but little clarity to the layman) The Economy, Elf clowns, sings and occasionally becomes a breathless, Marilyn-type ‘economicist.’ You feel as though at any minute Elf is going to channel Frenchie and tell us “the only man a girl can depend on is her Daddy.”
A true eccentric, at one point Elf pauses her show to ask if my name is Rebecca. Sadly it is not. Although I am often mistaken for a Rebecca or a Ruby, though what kind of monster would call their child Ruby Stone?
I can’t say I learned any more about the economy but I did learn Elf Lyons continues to fearlessly push the boundaries of comedy.
★★★★
Elf Lyons: ChiffChaff is at 18:50 at the Pleasance Dome until 27th August. For tickets and more information click here!
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