Review by Dominic Corr

Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose: Tickets

The title and subject matter initially suggest that the next hour with Isabella Charlton might strike closer to a soap opera for the upper class than a comedy set-up. Honing a routine around her father’s numerous (and we mean numerous) illicit affairs, the disharmonious family home, and her mother’s attempts to leave clues and prove her husband’s cheating. However, as the pair were barristers and lawyers (respectively), firm evidence is required for a divorce. It quickly elevates from a predictable comedy set into a fast-paced and engaging hour of mystery, generational and shared trauma, problem-solving, and some rather choice comedic moments – both hilarious and off-the-wall.

Nothing is subtle in Charlton’s delivery – refreshingly so. From the manic facial expressions for emphasis to their larger-than-life delivery of storytelling and innuendos (of which there are countless), the performance is beautifully unhinged in parts, bold and significant in comedy, yet there’s still a refined nature to it all. Though the structure can be less sophisticated. The audience participation is a Russian Roulette – which pays off this evening but always has the potential to land flat as. A cleverly evolving set shifts back and forth between the more extreme and darker humour of Charlton’s father’s antics and more intimate exploration of the impact of this on their own commitments and feelings of love after time in Hong Kong and meeting new people. It’s a nice move to see Charlton punch both up and at themselves with a self-deprecation that lands frequent blows of comedy.

For those who prudishly turn from the more grim and forward content, Charlton’s comedy will not be for them – which just means the rest of us can appreciate it more. And for those willing to look beyond their upturned nose, there is a torrent of brilliant routines and gags here, though it definitely needs a tightening and someone to rein in the more unhinged moments. So My Dad F****d The Nanny is precisely what you would expect it to be. But a fair bit more. Delivered by a self-professed Cheltenham College ‘posh-girl’, Charlton’s self-aware routine is engaged, sharp, brutally honest, and confidently charming with more than a wink and nudge delivery.

---