You may know Lulu Popplewell from her, arguably pivotal, role in Love Actually. Or maybe her comments, years later, about the 20-year-old film. I like to think the woman on the front row wearing a lobster-patterned dress was a super-fan, she certainly spent the whole show like the rest of us, on the edge of her seat.
And no wonder, this show goes at a cracking pace and while Popplewell is excellent at making sure the audience is engaged and comfortable she isn’t slowing down for anybody. In an alternate universe, Popplewell could be your favourite teacher – she is excellent at boiling complex subjects down to accessible cliff notes. Fortunately, Popplewell chose a different path and will soon be one of your favourite comedians.
Perhaps due to her familiarity with them, Popplewell is able to handle the gritty subjects of mental illness, addiction, and misogyny* with such dexterity as to make this show a hilarious hour rather than a tragic TED Talk.
While not the first comedian to debut with a show about mental health or addiction, Popplewell offers a fresh take in this people-pleasing show. In fact, she could afford a little self-indulgence and I look forward to seeing what else Popplewell has up her sleeve. An excellent, smart debut Popplewell can be proud of.
*as in she has suffered from misogyny, I’d like to be very clear here that I am not implying Popplewell is a misogynist…
★★★★
Lulu Popplewell: Actually, Actually is at Bunker Three, Pleasance Courtyard at 16:35 until 27th August. For tickets click here!
