Self-deprecating, reflective and glorious.

One of the things that continues to surprise me about London are the numerous, somewhat anonymous theatres dotted throughout the city. Above a pub, or underground in the basement of a new development, theatre lives in every virtually every street of this city, acting as a beating heart along many of the arteries. They pump soul, thought, ideas and the very essence of what it means to be alive, out into our society, altering perceptions and offering insights into the human condition.

Now, forgive me for being overly poetic for a moment. The simple truth is that sometimes, you stumble across – or in this case are invited to watch – something that wouldn’t normally be on your radar. From the title (‘All The Men Are Going To Hate Me’), I had conjured images of a monologue tirade directed firmly, deservedly, at men, but instead this work in progress by Maria Telnikoff is self-deprecating, reflective and glorious, in its wit-led and – at times – almost slapstick performance.

There are a few parts which could do with trimming and refining, as is often the case with WIP. We aren’t watching the final product, but instead Telnikoff has invited us into her creative process. The plot of this hour-long one-person show is based around the idea of trying to write a novel. We learn the difficulties of the creative process whilst Telnikoff is self-effacing throughout.

The opening, where copy is typed out on a projection and narrated by Telnikoff, presents them as an angsty teenager, soon revealing her on-stage completing the image. Soon though, we’re treated to a whistle stop tour, chapter-by-chapter, through Telnikoff’s attempts to find love, whilst accepting her character’s desire to be a self-proclaimed slut. Yes, this show is very much centred on the image of Telnikoff’s character, but it blurs fiction and reality – and before the audience catches up, she’s already calling out the fact that most would compare this show to Fleabag.

The cadence of the production isn’t far off from perfection. There are moments where we perhaps dwell too long, and others where we don’t spend enough time. For me, the opening scene and poetry reading scenes seem to last a beat more than needed whilst some more tender scenes are passed over a beat too quickly. However, Telnikoff shows dexterity and adaptability. As often is the way in live productions, things can (and do) go wrong, but unphased, the true magic of this show is those moments where the boundary between performing and being authentically human are blurred.

We fall in love with this character, and her no-holds-barred approach to telling this authentic story, of making the audience squirm in their seats, with cringiness rather than vulgarity. She maintains eye-contact with individual audience members to the point that it’s almost uncomfortable, but we daren’t look away for fear of breaking the spell. And most importantly, we are captivated by this story through the trials and tribulations of a modern day love story, as it plays out in the heart of the capital.

Telnikoff is performing ‘My Dad Wears a Dress’, another one-woman show, at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival and if you’re in town in August, I’d highly suggest you head to go and see it.

Thanks to Maria Telnikoff and Camden People’s Theatre for inviting me to come and review this piece with three complimentary tickets.