Theatre

Lifecoach
Until Jun 14
- New
This event has finished
Trafalgar Studios, 14 Whitehall, SW1A 2DY
Rating:
By Jonathan Gibbs

Posted: Tue May 27
The life coach is a pretty obvious comic figure – Will Adamsdale carried off the Perrier Award with his version of one, back in 2004 – but comedian Phill Jupitus makes the ever-helpful Colin a vital enough character in Nick Reed’s play. Naturally, Colin’s work is based around a ludicrous acronym: ‘BLT’ – ‘Believe, Let go, Take responsibility’ – which makes up a ‘personal development sandwich’, and his first scene, with go-getting executive Fiona (Katarina Olsson) is a hilarious intro to the gibberish this off-shoot of therapy routinely throws up.

The problem with the show isn’t just the premise – that Fiona would pay Colin £200 an hour to bring her useless PA, Wendy, up to speed – nor the fact that Reed doesn’t know how to end scenes. It’s the fact that, from the moment Colin and Wendy (a delightfully vapid Amy Darcy) meet, the entire trajectory of the play is evident. Colin will help Wendy become more assertive, and ditch her offensive artist boyfriend, Alex (Tim Plester). And Wendy will help Colin get back in touch with his emotions.

In fact, the play trips the line between comedy and drama in just the way that you would expect from an hour-long show on the Edinburgh Fringe. The cast make the most of what they’re given – Jupitus is a genial lead, and Darcy has a scintillating solo scene in which Wendy lays into her long-dead, alcoholic mother. For a full-length show, though, ‘Lifecoach’ is sorely lacking in complexity. A good evening out is assured, nothing more.