Shelley Cooper – Britishness
Shelley was born a male and understands getting used to change and living in a world that isn’t. She is an astonishishingly intelligent woman with an in depth knowledge of British history, especially colonialism and immigration. Her dad was a proud colonial who met his wife in India. Shelley’s mum was born in Burma and Shelley was told to keep this a secret from the kids at school in case they thought her mum was Burmese. Shelley was already hiding her sexuality and living in constant fear. She was teased because her family ate curry, the other kids called it cat food, now, she points out, it’s virtually a national dish.
What is Britishness? She asked pointing out that outside influences on the culture are not new but have been a constant ongoing experience. She illustrated this with a breathtakingly impressive, dense, funny history of Britain beginning with the Picts and ending with the death of Diana in a French tunnel. Along the way we learned some gorgeous tidbits such as how marmalade was born, and just how bizarrely difficult it was for these royal types to create heirs. She got a well deserved round of applause at the finish.
The first half of her show was really strong, very funny and clever. The last part was a bit less even, some of it fell a little flat but she handled it gracefully and never ceased to be interesting or entertaining. The show is a plea for tolerance in a country famous for it’s lack of it. Shelley is an affable and engaging storyteller and her show is well worth checking out.
I‘ve really enjoyed the shows I’ve seen at the Free Fringe this year. You may dismiss it thinking that something free must be crappy, but I know there are some top quality Australian acts I admire appearing as part of Free Fringe. Also Free Fringe is not necessarily free, the performers wait at the exit with a jar for you to pop some cash in if you so choose.
Visit the Fringe Website for booking details.