Review: TAMSYN KELLY: CRYING IN TK MAXX, Soho Theatre

“This show is about men in my life”

As you might guess from the opening quote, Tamsyn Kelly: Crying in TK Maxx is a show about the men in Kelly’s life, starting with her father growing up and ending with a man who works in her local chicken shop. Kelly grew up on a council state, the only one with a father, ironically wishing that he would leave as he was causing nothing but pain to his family. She dreams of escaping to London to be an actor, inspired by her love for Grime music. 

One of the main things that Kelly focuses on is her belief that people don’t change, no matter how much you might want them to. She takes the onion layer metaphor and breaks it down, reminding us that even if the onion does indeed have layers, they’re all still onion. It’s a bit of a depressing show subject, but Kelly manages to bring in some humour with her stories, particularly those focusing on her painfully thin boyfriend, Andy, who she claims is the complete opposite of her father. 

Unfortunately, while some of the stories were entertaining, I was disappointed in Kelly’s delivery, which was quite monotonous, even with more emotional moments toward the end. With wild stories including going to the A&E and having to get a full rectal exam or telling us about her “reply guys” on Instagram, Kelly has the potential for some truly hilarious stories if more passion is put into the words. A highlight of the show is Kelly discussing her love for Grime music, including a great speech about the beauty of the term “pussio” as used in her favourite artist, Bugzy Malone’s “Warning: Get Back.”

The crowd work in the show left much to be desired, especially as Kelly seemed quite easily distracted by two audience members in the front row and would regularly cut off from what she was saying and focus on them. The audience seemed a bit unsure of whether to interact with her or not, leading to some pauses that took away from the impact of the stories.

There is an odd amount of emphasis on Mr. Blobby in the props and Kelly’s outfit, though the character is only brought up once or twice throughout the show. Quite a few people in the audience were also unaware of who Mr. Blobby is, making for some confusion when he is casually referenced. I would have liked to see more of a connection to the rest of the stories and Mr. Blobby if his presence was going to be made so large from the minute you walk into the venue. There is also a bizarre Mr. Blobby-themed ending that leads to quite an unsatisfying conclusion. 

Ultimately, Tamsyn Kelly: Crying in TK Maxx is a show with an interesting concept that has some fun moments in it but struggles to be a cohesive piece. I do, however, look forward to seeing what Kelly will do next as she is a talented storyteller and has some fantastic potential. 

Tamsyn Kelly: Crying in TK Maxx ran from 18 to 20 April at Soho Theatre.

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