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Nina Conti

Nina Conti: The Dating Show

Pleasance Grand

Until 29 August

By Gareth K Vile

Nina Conti is the UK’s most famous ventriloquist, and her previous work has explored the form through complex psychology, wittily critiquing the relationship between person and persona, actor and dummy. She has also done much to popularise the medium, and now arrives at the Fringe as an established star in one of the larger venues. And, as her most famous puppet Monkey insists, technique is the heart of her act.

The Dating Show, however, hands over much of the running time to extended audience interaction: using pump operated masks, she invites audience members on the stage and, responding to their gestures, speaks on their behalf. It is an amusing and clever way to extend the ventriloquist routine, but the substance of the show is weak: slightly embarrassed but willing members of the public provide the humour and while Conti is still displaying her great technique, the actual comedy is repetitious. She’s fast witted, and builds a story from an assortment of characters, relying on absurdity and broad jokes.

A speed dating interlude allows Monkey to take centre-stage, yet the character of her dummy is increasingly one dimensional, all smart remarks and plenty of swearing. It is only in a brief conclusion that Conti reminds of her tremendous ability, speaking in Monkey’s voice while Monkey speaks in her voice, swapping lines in a power-play that hints at her ambivalence about the identity of the ventriloquist and the apparent independence of the dummy.

The audience does greet Conti with enthusiasm, and her winning personality allows her to play with the crowd. But this is a lazy show that leans into her celebrity and replaces wit with caricatures and absurd scenarios.