Marigold Lately: Dirty Old Town – The King’s Arms, Salford

In the upstairs studio of the King’s Arms, a small tornado named Marigold is being unleashed onstage.

At first glance, Marigold (the brainchild of Mikayla Jane Durkan) looks somewhat unassuming, like a librarian who’s wandered into the wrong pub.

Then the first F-bomb drops and we’re launched into a frenzy of Spitfire-like energy as Marigold tears chunks out of the woes of society, politics and misogyny – as if our ‘librarian’ has befriended the local biker gang, downed a bottle of sherry and wrestled the spotlight from an open-mic night folk guitarist that only exists in her head.

Tonight is a surreal and slightly disorientating blend of story-telling, singing and stand-up, although Marigold stresses repeatedly that she is very much not funny.

Non-sequiturs pile up alongside more focused accounts of the people Marigold encounters on her travels. Some are, despite protests to the contrary, blackly funny. Others are heart-breaking, coming like slaps to the face, and snapping you out of the initial safety of frivolity and how to sexily eat a shoplifted banana.

Marigold is certainly a skilled storyteller in these more focused moments. The freewheeling segments feel a little more awkward, like watching a raucous hen party through your fingers. Although one senses, that’s precisely the point.

It’s too much for some in the audience, especially when she tackles heavy duty subjects of abuse and sexual assault. For others, they bellow with laughter as Marigold recounts the mental and physical gymnastics she once went through, all to avoid a 30p train fare to Liverpool.  

If off-the-wall, spitballing ‘not-comedy’ comedy is your bag, you’ll adore Marigold. Others may find her style a bit too oddball. Either way she remains an intriguing act with moments that will stay with you long after she’s said goodnight.    

For more Manchester Fringe Festival Shows, visit Greater Manchester Fringe |

Reviewer: Lou Steggals

Reviewed: 24th July 2024

North West End UK Rating: 3