Review by Florence Carr-Jones
Audiences enter to see ‘ZOë COOMBES MARR’, which is jarringly displayed on an inverted Word doc. Then as Sweet but Psycho starts blaring, Zoe Coombs Marr bursts onto the stage.
The show starts with a disgustingly in-depth description of Coombs Marr’s “vomit reel,” which is chaotic and hilarious and sets the tone for what’s to come. Coombs Marr quickly transitions to the starter—her Miro board, which begins the venture into everything in Coomb’s Marr’s life. Her energy is nonstop, and while the show is full of tangents, Coombs Marr has an uncanny ability to reel the audience back in just when it seems like things might go off the rails.
At times, it’s hard to tell where the planned material ends and the spontaneous tangents begin, but this only adds to the fun of it and spontaneous touch of Coombs Marr’s performance. It’s a comedy show that feels both intimate and wildly unpredictable. You’re drawn in by its raw honesty and frenetic pace.
As the show delves deeper, Coombs Marr touches on mental health, revealing that the show was born from a dark place. Her vulnerability is powerful, and she masterfully conveys this through an overwhelming Excel spreadsheet—the main course of the evening. The spreadsheet serves as a fitting metaphor for the complexities and depth of the human mind, struggling to make sense of it all.
The show is cleverly constructed, changing daily based on which stories the audience chooses to explore. This unpredictability is both a strength and a potential pitfall; while it keeps the performance fresh and exciting, it can occasionally cause the momentum to dip. However, Coombs Marr’s relentless pace and wit ensure that even when things threaten to derail, they are quickly pulled back together.
Zoë Coombs Marr’s Every Single Thing in My Whole Entire Life is a brilliant, fast-paced rollercoaster of comedy that blends personal insight with chaotic humour. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, delivering laughs and surprises in equal measure.
Review by Florence Carr-Jones (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Florence recently graduated with a degree in History from the University of Edinburgh, where her passion for theatre often took precedence over her academic studies. During her time at university, she was actively involved in many theatre societies, but her deep passion was with Theatre Paradok, the experimental theatre society, where she served as president this past year. She is the director and writer of her own company, Fools and Thieves, and will begin a Master’s in Drama Directing at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School this September. Florence is particularly fascinated by interdisciplinary approaches to theatre and how the medium can evolve in the contemporary world.
