May 6 marked the official opening of Brighton’s famous Fringe Festival, with glorious sunshine all day and a wonderfully warm evening, the British weather played its part in giving the whole experience a proper festival feel as we waited to go into Studio 3 to see the show.
This show was a fantastic laugh and an excellent, light-hearted beginning to the Fringe Festival
The stage layout was simple and perfect for a good view if you’re only 5ft 1 like me! In the middle of the stage there was a table hosting a large cooking pot and frying pan, as well as a mixture of ingredients. As the chattering began to die down, JoJo Bellini appeared from behind a curtain, complete with a 60s style red dress, fishnets and black silk gloves. Her red and black hair tied up behind her head, she smiled and welcomed us all to her show.
As the Tom Jones tracks start to play, Bellini struts across the stage, winking at audience members playfully and begins to seductively chop the wide selection of vegetables she has in front of her. After a few minutes, the whole audience can’t help but be in fits of giggles. As the show gets underway, Bellini explains to us how an Australian girl has ended up in Brighton singing Tom Jones songs and cooking food whilst covered in butter, seriously!
The saucy, hilarious show had me, and the audience, who played along singing and busting some dance moves, laughing from beginning to end. A particularly lucky, and brave, gentleman got to re-enact the famous pottery scene from the hit film Ghost, where Bellini, who was not quite as demure as Demi Moore, grinded and writhed as she created a slightly phallic creation out of playdough – we were crying with laughter!
This show was a fantastic laugh and an excellent, light-hearted beginning to the Fringe Festival. It left me enthused for what else the Fringe has to offer this year, as Bellini and her cheeky kitchen adventures set a high bar for the month to come. I would definitely recommend dropping in if you have a spare hour and fancy a giggle, a flirt and some delicious free, vegetarian food!
