Sooz Kempner @ Underbelly, Med Quad
Talented stand-up Sooz Kempner film show doesn't quite get into its stride
Once, Sooz Kempner dreamt of a life in film. Her 16-year-old self had a slightly unhealthy obsession with Robert De Niro, and winning an Oscar, to fire the flames of inspiration for a Fringe show all these years later.
Sooz On Film sits somewhere in the middle of a stand-up show and guided tour of Kempner’s life on film (or lack there of), from Aliens to The Danish Girl. Though there is a progression of narrative that Kemper uses – the script she penned herself at 16 – there are too few solid gags for the show to succeed.
Interesting ideas are rushed through while others drag; a prime example is the opening section where Kempner talks about growing up without the Disney classics and instead being made to watch the grizzly bloodbath that is Watership Down. After a point-by-point comparison and song the show often seems to slow down just when the audience is ready to move on.
Kempner is a natural performer and stand-up with a promising future, and the theatrical trappings and weaker elements are combated by Kemper’s wit and flair. Disregard the bells and whistles, strip back the multimedia layers and at its heart there is a lively and powerful show which just didn't quite emerge today.
Sooz on Film, Underbelly Med Quad (Clover), until 27 Aug (not 16), 6.50pm, £8.50-10.50