Head Set – Midlands Arts Centre

“Head Set”, Victoria Melody’s autobiographical performance piece of self- examination, seems to inhabit the little chartered hinterland between stand-up comedy and one-person show and feels unsure which camp it truly belongs to. That, however, doesn’t necessarily detract from all the truly positives this show offers. It’s the first date on a 26 date tours so a few minor glitches are to be expected. The stage is scattered with various props and flotsam and jetsam which have little to do with the show and are soon tidied away within the first few moments as Melody introduces her idiosyncratic personality, her mother and her comedy teacher both of whom work as a kind of Greek chorus throughout. The crux of the show is Melody’s inability to perform stand-up comedy. This may be a thinly veiled attempt to misdirect us, but, ironically, she is very funny about not being funny, I wondered why she bothered trying to convince us otherwise. The plot meandered through various aspects of her life including a period as a dog trainer and a funeral director – both of which could have sustained more exploration or indeed their own show, but Melody soldiered on at times being endearingly funny as she told us her, occasionally, compelling story.

It was tight rope walk. At times it was like watching an old friend chatting around a campfire, at others it stumbled and weaved, but was soon redeemed by Melody’s carefree personality. She has some cracking one liners which really hit home, but their sparse distribution leaves us wanting more. She is keen to subvert the structure of her own piece without offering much to replace it. But on she goes and we warm to her more and more throughout. The piece (Was a play? Was it  performance?) incorporates the occasional audio/visual intervention made for a refreshing change and the odd, yet appropriately wacky, soundtrack embellished it all.

Wearing a head set which visualises what happens to your body when you perform stand-up is a great notion with huge potential I would loved to seen explored further. There’s a lot in this, perhaps too much, and Melody’s joyful approach makes it a more than pleasing hour. A tighter script and a little pruning may prove useful and that will certainly emerge during the following dates. Certainly someone to watch out for in future incarnations. I’d be keen to see it again towards the end of the tour to weigh up the changes.

Reviewer: Peter Kinnock

Reviewed: 6th October 2023

North West End UK Rating: