EDINBURGH 2023: Review: SHOWSTOPPER, Gilded Balloon Teviot, Turret
A great character show that takes a look at how a desire for fame can completely consume a person.
From the moment she steps onto the stage, Klein is here to show the audience that she is a star. She emerges wearing a bright pink dress and struts on the stage, holding herself confidently as she greets the audience. Her opening song, in which she sings about the star being “Totally me,” is an absolute bop and immediately had me hooked.
There is some great audience participation throughout the show, with some people being selected to come on stage and read for scenes with Klein, including a particularly hilarious moment in which a scene from The Notebook is reenacted and Klein claims that there was chemistry (after ensuring that the man she brought on stage had a girlfriend, of course!). There is also another moment in which she is signing autographs which gives a great satirical look at how celebrities interact with fans and how superficial all of it really is.
One of my favourite bits is one in which Klein has an audience member read through her resumé, in which her special talents include rollerblading and she decides to demonstrate this skill to the audience. In a hilarious (yet slightly terrifying) scene, Klein dances around on rollerblades, quite literally hanging onto audience members at times to keep her balance. It is one of those moments in which you cannot tell when the character of Klein ends and the real Klein begins - Was that a genuine look of fear when she was rollerblading? Was she acting? It’s impossible to tell.
Towards the end, the show takes a more serious turn, showing what’s really going on in Klein’s head behind all of the performing she’s doing on stage. I can only imagine how many of these thoughts have gone through the actual Klein’s head, questioning her choices during her Fringe debut; an exciting yet terrifying moment.
Ultimately, SHOWSTOPPER is a great character show that takes a look at how a desire for fame can completely consume a person. I look forward to seeing more of Klein (both the character and the actor) in the future!
SHOWSTOPPER runs at Gilded Balloon Teviot, Turret at 16:20 until 28 August.
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