A scouse woman in a glittery headband roams the crowd as we get settled for Rachel Fairburn’s new show. We’re in a motivational seminar about “living authentically as a boss bitch” and aggressively vulnerable guru Daphne claims that, despite a messy breakup and some borderline criminal behaviour on her part, thanks to manifesting, things are going really well for her actually. Daphne is the first of seven characters wrapped up in a neat concept, in a fun show that pushes Fairburn out of her comedy comfort zone.
Fairburn made her name in wonderfully acerbic standup across multiple fringe shows and Live at the Apollo. Side Eye is her first character-comedy show, but anyone who’s seen those past shows will know she’s a skilled impressionist, bringing characters from her own world to life in her standup routines.
Seven mannequin heads span the stage adorned with different accessories, which Fairburn puts on to embody each character. She reveals an incredible talent for accents, slipping seamlessly from scouse to rah to Welsh and back to her own Mancunian cadence, across some captivating performances. Daphne, Mancunian pot-stirrer Leanne, and desperate-to-shock nepo baby Camilla are standouts, built on pearls of truth that make all their awfulness extremely relatable. Leanne’s spiteful phone call, where she brings the audience in on her scheme with mischievous looks and eye rolls, is a standout with a great punchline.
As we progress, a narrative unfolds and every character is connected, giving extra dimension to the show as they reflect different sides of one another back at us. A couple of the characters can feel too declarative, offering exposition where you want punchlines, but there’s pathos, some brilliantly meta jokes, and ultimately commentary on how obsession with the lives of others keeps us distracted from the real issues. It may be Fairburn’s first foray into character comedy, but I hope it’s not her last.
