Review: Blue Tights, Red Knickers and an ‘S’ on her Vest at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre

Wednesday 14th August 2019 at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In Blue Tights, Red Knickers and an ‘S’ on her Vest we are taken behind the headlines for a solo show detailing the day to day stresses of modern life and the experiences of someone living with anxiety. 

Laura Shoebottom writes and stars in what ultimately feels like a very personal, very unfiltered exchange with Jenna. Shoebottom holds the room beautifully for the duration, communicating the underlying messages well while raising awareness of a much publicised issue on much more relatable and humanised terms. Liam Ashmead directs and the only supporting elements are recorded voices of the characters with whom Jenna interacts, a few boxes, a chair and a woman at the end of her tether.

In just shy of an hour Shoebottom manages to detail the everyday struggles of a person living with anxiety in a way which never falls into the mundane but enlightens in the ordinary details. From colleagues to family to a scarpering should-be rock, there’s not much in the way of support or understanding for Jenna. Perhaps the show’s greatest strength is that while Jenna laments and criticises, there’s no sense of wallowing – this is matter-of-fact ‘can you believe that’? storytelling which endears and engages for the duration thanks to Shoebottom’s considerable stage presence.

Blue Tights, Red Knickers and an ‘S’ on her Vest is a short but powerful piece which goes a long way in opening up the tentative coverage of something which is affecting more and more people. It encourages us to be kinder to one another, to pay closer attention to those around us and to always seek to understand before we judge. For some, Jenna is a statistic and a talking point. For us, Shoebottom’s writing ensures that we see a person behind the click bait.

Blue Tights, Red Knickers and an ‘S’ on her Vest plays at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre as part of the Camden Fringe until 16th August 2019 and you can find tickets here.