Twitter is the usual stage for comic Rosie Holt, best known for her character as an MP, which has convinced some users that she is an actual sitting MP. Let’s be honest, they’ll let anyone in Westminster these days, so it’s no surprise that Holt has managed to fool even a couple of ‘real’ MPs.
And it is precisely because our political climate is so dire that Holt’s comedy works, as she stabs so bitterly at the stupidity and arrogance of our very own lawmakers.
That’s Politainment! sees Holt directly mock politicians who turn to talk show hosting for a lucrative second job (we’re totally not looking at you Nadine Dorries, Jacob Reese-Mogg, Lee Anderson, etc etc).
Holt herself takes on multiple jobs, as she plays the characters Rosie Holt MP, left-wing comedian Rosie Holt (confusing, I know), and right-wing talk show host Harriet Langley Swindon, expertly using costume – namely, her signature blue suit jacket and an intentionally ‘down-with-the-kids’ bright plaid number – to distinguish between each character.
I cannot overstate how funny this changing of characters was, particularly as the show reached its peak, involving a debate between Rosie Holt MP and the show’s ‘host’.
And this is entirely down to Holt’s relationship with the audience: her ability to improvise, her reliance on the two audience members holding her costumes for her, and her absolute fearlessness with picking on people who definitely did not want to participate.
That’s Politainment! is a masterclass in how to rip into today’s politics so succinctly, whilst simultaneously highlighting the sheer ridiculousness of our political landscape – demonstrating how it is, at times, utterly laughable.
Above all else, Holt is just really (and subtly) funny, revelling in the awkwardness of the audience when it came to making jokes about the government’s immigration policy. The longer she dragged a joke on, the funnier it became – and this is totally to Holt’s credit, as usually, it gets old pretty quickly!
I must add: I saw Rosie Holt’s show The Woman’s Hour during last year’s Fringe in a tiny venue called Pleasance Attic (which just so happens to be a couple of floors above The Student’s office, where we pull together our newspaper). That show was to an audience of about 30 maximum. To go from that to a packed audience of more than 100 in Pleasance Two (and to be able to engage with the audience more closely – if not more so – than before) is truly a gift and perfectly illustrates what the Fringe is all about and what it can do for performers.
Doing a one-woman show is hard. To do it so effortlessly whilst also creating something truly unique demonstrates genuine talent.
That’s Politainment! is a true gem in this year’s Fringe programme – I genuinely can’t wait to see where Holt goes next.
Rosie Holt: That’s Politainment! is at Pleasance Courtyard – Pleasance Two until 27 August at 20:00.
Image by Karla Gowlett provided to The Student as press material.