In the few months before August we carried out a series of Q&As with a number of comedy acts. The final question always asked the comedian for recommendations for other shows. Around half said Lorna Rose Treen‘s ‘Skin Pigeon’ was an absolute must. Audience word-of-mouth is great, but here was a show arriving in Edinburgh with the heft of a peer-reviewed paper. It turns out that comedians know what’s funny. Who knew?
A Krakatoa of stitched-together clothes and other paraphernalia sits toward the back of the stage from which Treen emerges in the guise of a precocious, and slightly demented, girl guide. Anyone who has seen Lorna’s videos will be familiar with the character, but the ebullient Brownie is emblematic of the comedian’s ability to adapt and expand for a live setting. The character appears again throughout the show, giving us something approaching a narrative anchor. We can assume that this driven young guide is something of an exaggerated cipher for Treen’s younger self. Elsewhere there is a bolshy PE teacher, a fur-coated grand dame straight from classic film noirs, all chain-smoking and Lucy Worsley-esque rhotacism, and a ‘normal girl’ with one unusual feature.
Treen demonstrates a wide array of talents and different styles. Clowning, wordplay, character-work, and even a musical number, practically everything she attempts sticks the landing, and she never takes a route for an easy laugh. Each segment constantly shifts and surprises. Even the hollow mound of clothes (which may point to a cluttered mind, but it’s all a bait-and-switch) isn’t just a handy vessel for a quick change, but is often utilised in unexpected ways. Even the one segment she laments as being not quite up to snuff only stands out in terms of its brevity, a slightly throwaway sliver of whimsy that does nothing to derail the show’s delightful momentum. If that moment comes in any way close to a dip in standards, it’s more than compensated by a spectacularly audacious curveball that no-one could possibly see coming.
With the effusive praise from her contemporaries, it was possible that ‘Skin Pigeon’ could be a victim of sky-high expectations. Happily, Lorna Rose Treen’s debut hour is every bit as special as we were led to believe. Brilliantly performed, expertly paced, and consistently surprising, it’s an early highlight. Award recognition may beckon, and a national run surely does.
‘Skin Pigeon’ runs until Sun 27 Aug 2023 at Pleasance Courtyard – The Attic at 16:35