Jenny Eclair – Eclairious

A packed Studio Theatre at the Dome shrieked happily through most of Eclairious – a show Jenny Eclair has pitched somewhere between her TV appearances as a grumpy old woman, (relieved to finally abandon tight-fitting clothes and going out, in favour of cardigans and reality shows on the box) and a comic persona ideal for hen nights, as everyone’s rudest, naughtiest aunt. There were extended riffs on pubic hair, fellatio, drinking to excess, weight gain, and the many irritations of middle age: juvenile doctors, secretive teenagers, and parents who go to Ibiza and give each other STDs, instead of getting old gracefully. For men, the remorseless anxieties about the ageing of the female body which her routines aired may have offered too much information, as well as some very funny moments. But after 30 years as a comic, there was no doubting her appeal across all age groups – except children, that is – it wasn’t suitable, Jenny warned, “so they should **** off” before the show started.

Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, 7 October 2012
Rating:
Jon Dodds