Nina Gilligan speaks softly and slowly as she introduces this show about memory – with a goldfish theme.
When it starts, she is in cosy Mancunian older woman mode, sharing stories of domestic boredom and drudgery which have the audience squealing with laughter.
But don’t let her fool you. Gilligan has a story to tell – and she will be heard.
She suffers from a form of memory loss, which gives her lots of opportunity for self deprecating humour. Sometimes it makes her stumble a little over her material – but not enough to mess up a punchline. Gilligan is blessed with almost perfect comic timing – and has the added ability to conjure a laugh out of every on stage wobble.
Beneath the folksy exterior and the highly relatable chatty manner there lurks a woman of steel. And while she’s happy to chatter about supermarkets and streaming services, she also lets slip that she might have spent the odd night in the Hacienda in her youth.
Gilligan has a theory that memory loss may be connected to things people would rather not remember. And beneath her twittery charm is a strongly feminist message about what happens when women are not believed.
She’s one hundred per cent behind the NHS – but she’s witheringly hilarious about the way male doctors often dismiss women’s health.
Are men listening to women? When you look carefully there is a lot of evidence they are not.
I don’t want to pull back the big reveal at the end of her show – but if you’re concerned about the safety of women on the comedy circuit you should probably be paying attention.
Gilligan is not just a dippy housewife – however much she hams it up. She’s a brilliantly talented comic with a serious purpose.
And bless her heart, she doesn’t want to leave her audience on a downer.
After the big, show stopping, horrifying revelation is done, Gilligan pulls on her (metaphorical) big clown shoes and leaves the audience with a silly, uplifting and joyful finale.
The goldfish may be battered – but she’s not broken. And Nina Gilligan will tell her story – memory loss or not.
Just The Tonic, Nucleus until August 25. Tickets and details here.
Read more Edinburgh Fringe reviews and recommendations here.
picture by Steve Ullathorne
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