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REVIEW: Pam Ann: Fly Tour

April 3, 2014

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Pam Ann

Fly Tour 2014

Pam Ann started her new 2014 Tour ‘Fly‘ at the Leicester Square Theatre Last night.I’m going to try and keep this review free from airline puns and clichés as to do so would be to do a disservice to such a great performer.

She’s crude, rude, loud, offensive, borderline racist , stunningly  vulgar, shocking and remorseless and that’s just in her quiet reflective moments, when she’s really flying and that jagged merciless wit has got something to chew on, she’s a real scary prospect.

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Pam Ann, the alter ego of Australian writer and comedian Caroline Reid  for the last few decades, just gets better with age, and by better I mean even more brutal than before.  We love her for what she does; we also love her for what she doesn’t do, which is taking the easy way. I always think when watching Reid that it’s interesting when such a relentlessly sharp performer gets trapped behind a character and that’s mostly the only way we get to see them. I suspect the other gays would lynch me for suggesting there’s more to Reid than Pam Ann and as they fill her seats she gives ‘em what they want. Don’t get me wrong I think Pam Ann is wonderful, an education in frank delightful humour, but there are moments when you see Reid reign herself in, away from the deep dark edges where her mind is taking her and yanks us  back into the limits of her character, safe in the familiar. Reid keeps her profound moments well disguised and that’s our loss. Pam Ann might have a remit as wide as a hippos yawn but I, for one, would love to see Reid come out from behind that astonishing wig and really give us what for.

Reid knows how to work an audience and understands what her audience wants from her too and occasionally stoops to give it. In between picking off various air crew and the countries they represent she roams across a range of subjects from religion to the nature of hope, keeping the audience laughing all the way.

The show is split into three parts with some mash-up films with Pam Ann now staring in them, they are well done and funny and add to the show as do the wonderful costumes that Reid sports. If I had one criticism it’s the air punching way she starts each segment with a hip grinding dance track, although the majority of the packed house didn’t seem to mind.

If you’ve not seen Pam Ann perform then check out a bit from her last tour here:

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However, this is not about me, it’s about her and this is a great show, lots of new material, some wonderful off the cuff moments, the usual warm savaging of members of the audience and jaw achingly funny racial stereotypes ( or observations…)  being pushed in our faces; she’s nowt if not brave is Our Pam. She lectures on manners when being shocking rude, on morals when being debauched, on kindness when being bitingly harsh and on high ideals when spouting vulgarity. Her foul mouthed tirade of abuse is wrapped in her tongue in cheek Australian eloquence. This effortless contradiction is the core of Pam Ann and it’s why we love her. She’s us reflected back at ourselves. Not as we are, but how we would like to be. If, like her, we had the balls. Oh, and the talent.

Oh, and if you get there early, pop into the church right next door  (Notre Dame de France) to the theatre as it has a rather stunning  mural by renowned homo Jean Cocteau.

Roll on another ten years of Pam!

She’s in London every night until the 26th April, so if you know what’s good for you, you’ll book now, as in NOW!

She’s worth it, even if you are economy seat scum.

For more info or to book tickets see her website here:

Leicester Square Theatre

6 Leicester Place,

London,

WC2H 7BX

 

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