Kyra’s programme shows she is also the writer, producer, director, stage designer, digital content creator social media co-ordinator and all-round hype-man.
Sam Baxter on lighting, plus sound and music from bands and artists from the North.
This performance took place in The King’s Arms, Salford, under the dome of the upstairs theatrical space. The stage is empty apart from a small desk, with the all-important envelope, and a covered flipchart.
The opening is designed to appear that the actor has forgotten the time of performance and is caught out, unprepared, in bath hat and snoopy fleece. This leads to a very funny stream-of-consciousness revealing of her chronic lateness with brave and funny jokes that set the tone of openness. There is a comical anecdote about missing the Eurostar and ending up in Blackpool instead of Paris – which is almost the same ‘except for the greasy fingers and fake tits.’
A quick change introduces the ‘proper’ show and Isobella launches straight into the punchy, comic material that is her family. There are lots of excellent jokes here so I need to avoid giving too many spoilers, but the jokes about Veet and her dad trying to explain sanitary protection got lots of laughs. All the ‘Dad’ jokes were funny and we enjoyed the well-intentioned, traditional father-figure who inadvertently quotes the life-lessons from RuPaul.
Isobella’s excellently paced routines are interspersed with her returning to the table to contemplate opening her letter from the university – a letter that could potentially change the direction of her life. She teases her audience by constantly putting off the reveal whilst she considers her options. She uses the full stage effectively and her flipchart is utilised for listing her positives and negatives
Kyra’s script is brave, and the transitions between emotional extremes are handled expertly. The descriptions of Isobella’s mother’s suicide – and its after-effects – are moving, credible and very sensitively dealt with. In less experienced hands it could prove difficult to switch tone so quickly and effectively but Kyra navigates the return to humour with ease. One quick move across the stage to the flipchart and we are entertained by the comical origins of the siblings’ names.
After a consideration of her family’s different responses to losing her to university (Dad gives her a Christmas stocking containing a stun gun and pepper spray) Isobella realises that she needs to consider her own opinions. What does she want to risk? Looking back at her life so far, she concludes that we are largely unable to control what happens to us; we can only control how we deal with the aftermath.
The play runs for thirty minutes and I think we would have all happily watched for longer. Throughout the performance, Kyra remains in complete command of all her material, the pathos, the sensitivities, and the belly laughs. She conducts these with ease. The audience interactions were natural and unforced, and her pace was pitch perfect.
I cannot tell you what we learn about the content of her envelope; that would be too much of a spoiler. But I, for one, was very happy with the play’s conclusion. It also leaves open the possibility of a sequel. Whether Kyra has one planned or not, I don’t know. But I don’t doubt will be hearing a lot more from this charismatic and highly watchable performer in the future.
Josephine Galvin
ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT 👏 keep up the excellent work and I hope one day cone to see u oergorm as mum told me lots and wet our appetites all the luck in the world luv Yvonne &Mike ❤️ friends of mum and dad we met in cyorus xxxx