This Edinburgh sees a new Jayde Adams. A serious Jayde Adams. Gone are the hairpieces, glitter and songs. Here is Adams, in a black polo neck a la Steve Jobs and Dapper Laughs, only she isn’t the head of a tech company or returning to comedy after a public disgracing. This is a bid for Adams to be taken seriously after a conversation with her (now ex) agent.
The Ballad of Kylie Jenner’s Old Face is not really about Jenner, or her Kardashian sisters, so much as the current commodification of feminism. Adams is very aware and very funny about the fact that this is not the first or last show her audience will probably see at the Fringe that tackles feminism, but I bet no one else is tackling it from the same angle as Adams!
Adams is clear that she isn’t a feminist scholar, having only recently learned of the different waves, but not yet mastering intersectionality. Which is a shame as Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw’s term is incredibly useful and might have actually contributed to Adams’s ultimate point of the show.
Using a PowerPoint presentation to highlight some of her points, with some great visual gags (I look forward to Adams going into publishing) really she is lamenting the pressure the self made billionaire Jenner and other young women feel to look a certain way. Even if it means surgery.
Adams is at her best towards the end when she enters into more personal territory regarding her adoring boyfriend, her usually more flamboyantly fabulous style and a disastrous dinner they had on holiday. This section makes it clear why Adams deserves to be given more coverage on TV and radio, usually she says she is given roles that involve wearing a tabard. She is a rare voice who is able to convey vulnerability poignantly.
Adams always comes to the Fringe with a point to prove, and this year she definitely proved it! She doesn’t need any props or glam to be funny, but I hope next year the glittering, all-singing, all-dancing Jayde Adams is back with a vengeance and the polo necks can be binned alongside the tabards.
★★★★
Jayde Adams: The Ballad of Kylie Jenner’s Old Face is at the Pleasance Courtyard at 21:30 until 25th August. For tickets and more information click here!
Funny Women are at the Edinburgh Fringe with five shows, from 19th – 23rd August, a Funny Women Awards 2019 semi-final, a Stand Up to Stand Out workshop and a Meet Up. Come find us!
There’s still time to nominate a women-led show for the 2019 Funny Women Awards’ Best Show Category! The show with the most nominations will be picked! Nominate a show you have seen or your own show by 31st August here!
