Lynn Ruth Miller has become something of an institution at the Edinburgh Fringe, first appearing at the festival back in 2005. She is now a regular fixture on Fringe-goers “people-to-see” lists and this year she is back with her take on the men she has loved, why none of them stuck and why she couldn’t care less!
She is a delightful lady and has a mesmeric storytelling quality; it would be easy to sit and listen to her over a cup of tea long after the 60-minute slot she is given.
Her songs are quirky and funny and provide the show with a satisfying balance of wit, music and memoirs, even if she does sometimes lose her train of thought (who doesn’t?!) It is her memoirs the intimate audience are most keen to hear. From her two marriages which came to nothing, to the kindest man in the world who turned out not to be as kind as she had at first thought (we’ve all met one of them!) and past these heartbreaks to accepting who she is and enjoying what with a partner she would never quite have: ‘I can come home from a bar at 1am and cook myself dinner and not worry someone was waiting at home for me to make something for them…and play my music as loud as I like.’
There are poignant moments littered throughout this charming little show where the audience have to dig deep inside themselves for parallels in their own lives or to question whether they are as at peace with themselves as this 82-year-old comedian and teller of tales.
Miller has found a winning formula for her storytelling show but she doesn’t just leave it there, also performing with Larah Bross at the Stand from 10 – 14 Aug and in her own stand-up comedian act at Just the Tonic at the Caves 10 – 14 Aug and then Just the Tonic at The Community Project 16 – 28 Aug. She may be the oldest comedian at the Fringe, but it seems she may also be the busiest!