★★★★☆

Review by Natalia Milne. Venue 180 Monkey Barrel Comedy (Carnivore)

I first became familiar with Eleanor Morton’s work through her Tik-Tok account and the skits that she posts, including a very unenthusiastic tour guide named Craig. She addresses her internet fame as part of the show and the specific niche she has carved out for herself. Climbing mountains and the desire to achieve is the key theme here. From the outset we’re pretty much guaranteed that the next fifty-five minutes will be a catharsis and we will all feel much better once it is over. Eleanor claims to only have achieved one thing during the pandemic – climbing Schiehallion (although creating this brilliant show should be included as well!). The discussion turns to Munros and the first woman to climb Everest, as well as a segment on pyramid schemes too, all of which are woven through the central theme.

The pyramid scheme segment felt particularly relevant; I’m sure we all have experiences of Facebook ‘friends’ describing themselves as business owners, and part of a ‘family’ as they push candles, perfume and supplements onto us. This sort of thing rose dramatically during Covid. Eleanor’s secret shame is that lockdown was actually quite nice. She describes living at home and feeling like a Jane Austen character taking walks and embroidering. She also struggles with a feeling that she should be doing or learning more; a feeling familiar to many.

The show also covers deep topics like mental health, therapy and bullying, as well as facts about Jackie Chan, and there’s the contrasting experiences she and her brother had whilst living in London. The final reveal is a great call back to the show’s theme and really rounds everything off in a very satisfying way. Eleanor describes the Fringe as going back to your home town and having to prove to everyone you know that you are good at your job. Well, she doesn’t need to worry about that at all. Not in the slightest.