Picnic at the Soho Theatre

Got a date for Valentine’s Day and looking for something fun to do?

Don’t have a date for Valentine’s Day and looking for something fun to do?

Can’t stand Valentine’s Day at all?

Then I’ve got just the thing for you… Charlie Vero-Martin: Picnic at the Soho Theatre!

Join me, a very unsexy person, in a show that’s more like a horror movie than a romcom.

This will be your last chance to catch my one-woman sketch show bonanza and possibly my last solo show for a very long time… No, I’m not pregnant. I just don’t have any money or the energy to carry a dog cage, a roll of fake grass and a trunk of props around the UK anymore.

What’s the dog cage for you ask? You’ll have to come to find out.

First let me tell you a bit about me, my show and what to expect. I’m a Scottish comedian, actor (puppeteer, improviser, former dancer) and writer. Last year I was in the final of the Funny Women Stage Award with my Australian Wellness Guru character, ‘Persephone Gemstone’. I was also in the final of last year’s LST Sketch Off and shortlisted for the Funny Women Comedy Writing Award in 2021.

This show is full of joy. It’s my fourth solo show and my first since the pandemic. Coming out of lockdown I was very clear what I wanted the show to be: big, fun, colourful. Absolutely no doom and gloom. However, I slowly realised that this fever dream of a show was born out of a lot of unresolved anxiety.

The planet’s been spinning out of control. Everything we thought was safe is a slipped stitch away from a frazzled mess. In the words of ‘Persephone’, I’m a binfire of a person.

Accepting this as part of the show did not make it less joyful. This is definitely not a ‘now here’s the deep and meaningful message you’ve all been waiting for’ type of show. If anything, it has boosted the surreal revelry. Picnic has one of the most talked about finales of any Edinburgh Fringe show. Fans of dark comedy like Inside No. 9 will definitely enjoy Picnic’s little twisty treats.

The show was also recommended by the British Comedy Guide and The Telegraph as one of the best comedy shows in Edinburgh last year; has sold out venues across the UK and was recently filmed as a special by Next Up Comedy.

It was created by an incredible team of funny women/nb people, including director Kat Cade who is best known for her work with sketch group Kitten Killers and actor Daniella Finch, whom I met studying clown at Gaulier. Referred to by one reviewer as the Penfold to my Danger Mouse, my mute assistant steals the show every time and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’ve also been mentored throughout the production by one of Funny Women’s favourite men: Soho Theatre Comedy Producer Lee Griffiths. Picnic has been programmed at Soho Theatre as part of their Soho Rising Festival, which includes lots of brilliant up and coming comedians and theatre makers.

So I hope you can make it and help me pack up Picnic one last time. Just beware, this seasonal ritual my turn out to be more of a one-woman Wicker Man…

You can visit my website here and book tickets for my show, Charlie Vero-Martin: Picnic, at the Soho Theatre on Wednesday 14th February for your Valentine date here. See you there!