Australian-born Londoner Liz Kingsman stars in her One Woman Show at the Greenwich House Theater. Photograph by Dylan Woodley. (Banner photo by David Monteith-Hodge.)
“I guess I’m just relatable,” says Liz Kingsman with a shrug in One Woman Show, her sharp, absurdist parody of the British TV series Fleabag and the wave of women’s solo confessionals that followed it. Kingsman plays a hyped-up version of herself in her play, a jobbing actor who is recording her self-penned solo show, Wildfowl, so that she can market it in the hope of its becoming a major TV series.
Directed by Adam Brace, One Woman Show is a meta-show-within-a-show, replete with an extended prologue, in which Kingsman’s character keeps the audience in the know and feeds them references to other shows. For starters, she tells viewers to disregard the two cameras set up on stage, because “the show is for you guys.” Kingsman’s airtight 70-minute show has catapulted her to stardom and earned the newbie a slick new title as the “Queen of British Comedy,” courtesy of profiles in both Vogue and London’s Time Out magazine.
“The comic flatly delivers her lines and has a deadpan expression that Buster Keaton would approve. ”
One Woman Show began its life as a small play in the Vaults festival in London in early 2020, and from there it leapfrogged to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Soho Theatre, the West End, and the Sydney Opera House. Its current digs at the 199-seat Greenwich House Theater south of Sheridan Square seem an ideal fit for the show.
Dressed in overalls and a striped T-shirt, Kingsman exudes a quiet charisma on stage. The comic flatly delivers her lines and has a deadpan expression that Buster Keaton would approve. Ten minutes in, Kingsman is alerted by the backstage crew to do a sound check. She goes to the lip of the stage to speak to the camera operator and soundman. Although Kingsman says nothing especially witty, her throwaway lines to the (offstage) crew soon have the audience in stitches.
The Australian-born London resident is no stranger to the comedy world. She was part of the improv trio Massive Dad back in 2014, and it clearly has given her a good footing in comedy. Harnessing a manic-pixie, dream-girl energy for the TikTok era, Kingsman’s unnamed character is riveting to follow—but has self-destructive tendencies. She is a heavy-duty tippler and, when suffering from a hangover and trying to clear her mind at one point, asks, “What was in that bottle of vodka?” Her character also is a sex addict and is called on the rug for having quirky sex at the office one evening (a hidden surveillance camera has footage of the act). Kingsman’s character hits rock bottom.
The performer takes on several personas during the show and demonstrates remarkable versatility. She satirizes professional malaise, casual sex, and more. She has been going to every solo woman’s show in fringe festivals in recent years, and she knows the ins and outs of this theatrical form.
Kingsman, dubbed the new Queen of British Comedy, plays a jobbing actor in her absurdist satire, One Woman Show, directed by Adam Brace. Photograph by Dylan Woodley.
As the main character, she is a professional marketer for a wildlife conservationist charity. She also takes on her coworker Jared, a bird enthusiast whom she pretends to listen to as he rhapsodizes about the habits of wild birds and their special biological make-up. Her outspoken boss Dana is the voice of reason and lights into Kingsman’s character with a vengeance: “You’re not a mess, you just want to be seen as one.”
Social commentary is Kingsman’s forte, and among many things she takes issue with is the Internet, which becomes a running joke. And she wastes no words in stating her opinion: “Everyone says social media is great. It’s not.”
The production values are spot-on. Chloe Lamford’s minimalist set is pared down to essentials. It’s comprised of a tall, cream-colored chair at center stage, surrounded by plenty of open space for Kingsman to move through. The remarkably varied and precise lighting by Daniel Carter-Brennan ensures Kingsman remains in the spotlight whether she is sitting at center stage or moving around. Strobe lighting is used intermittently to heighten moods and dramatic moments, and haze drifts in, now and then, to suggest life’s mystery. And, when it comes to choreography, Joshua Lay has finessed a finale that is both amusing and fun.
Kingsman reportedly decided to pen One Woman Play after a friend told her that she would never do it. She says that everybody should have a friend that is a doubting Thomas, because she was about to ditch her idea for creating a solo comedy show and dedicate her time to film acting. Fans of solo performance and sharp social comment can be glad she did.
The Greenwich House Theater production of One Woman Show plays through Aug. 11. Evening performances are at 6:30 p.m. Monday; 7 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and twice on Wednesday (6:30 and 9:15 p.m.) and Saturday (6 and 9 p.m.). For tickets and information, visit onewomanshownyc.com.
Playwright: Liz Kingsman
Direction: Adam Brace
Sets: Chloe Lamford
Lighting: Daniel Carter-Brennan
Sound: Max Perryment
Choreography: Joshua Lay
