Deliciously Stella’s appeal comes from the fact that there is such a relatable element to her
Bella Younger has written a pithy show which gives her plenty of opportunities to invent new hashtags and mess around with what counts in a green juice cleanse. There’s the odd line about dodging diets that sounds like it could be found on a page of Minion memes, but overall the content is silly enough without relying on predictable stereotypes. Even when it is, Deliciously Stella’s appeal comes from the fact that there is such a relatable element to her: for every New Year’s resolution that never comes to fruition, there’s a degree of recognition in Stella’s try-hard, fail-hard fitness tactics.
As an actor however, I can’t help feeling that Younger is a writer first and foremost. Stella is a parody of posh girls and yet Younger plays her as hunched over, giving a self-conscious vibe which seems at odds with Stella’s confident bullshitting. Likewise, Younger adopts the same poses when presenting her set: the audience interaction feels limited to two back-and-forths before fitting neatly back into the script. As a result we see the very static Stella, a facade behind which a nervous stage presence is hiding. The show is still enjoyable, but Younger does not sparkle enough to carry her character beyond the Instagram account.
