Jay Lafferty is a seasoned comic, and her offering of Jammy for this year’s Fringe is nothing short of a masterclass in her craft. Easy audience interaction is her bag, and Lafferty opens with a nostalgic trip through the 80’s. To a backdrop of Kylie’s I Should Be So Lucky, we are treated to recollections of childhood crisps, smoking indoors and e-numbers. These reminiscences are interspersed throughout the show, like driving without seat belts, playing on the street from morning to night and vying for the best play pieces.
A slick hour of consistent, convivial comedy.
Lafferty’s real message though is a reflection on the concept of luck, regaling the audience with theories on the ultimate difference between luck and being ‘jammy’. Lafferty has surveyed 300 people on the subject of luck, and expertly reconstructs the quiz answers into a series of elements which frame the performance. The sheer level of preparation Lafferty has put into her show is evident, and makes for a slick hour of consistent, convivial comedy which is broad enough to be enjoyed by a majority of fringe goers. The breakdown of luck percentages is a highlight of the performance, ultimately building to a heartwarming crescendo on the nature of chance.
There are some real tenders moments in Lafferty’s performance, as she’s overcome her ‘sub-optimal ovarian reserve’ and is very shortly due a baby. Lafferty delicately delivers an appropriate balance of sharing experiences of her fertility journey, with hilarious anecdotes on the dark side of parenthood. This elevates what risks being a bit of a downer, into an uplifting narrative which leaves us genuinely chuffed for her impending change of circumstance.
Some quick wins are sprinkled throughout - like gags about Tinder as a ‘fuck roulette - ‘you might get fucked, and you might get murdered’, serving up some risqué realness to proceedings. There are enough changes in tempo and technique to steal our attentions, and as if in the blink of an eye, the hour is up. This is a sophisticated take on millennial life, delivered exceptionally by a matriarch of the comedy scene.
