Jo Caulfield – Pretending to Care

I’m not sure Jo cares about show reviews. And I’m not sure this reviewer cares that she cares.

But I have to report that her show is tight, funny, focused, and may occasionally make you snort, titter, wet yourself or cause you to cast your spit on the person in front of you. That is, if you’re anything like the person sat behind me. I can’t be 100% sure about them wetting themselves, but the rest was very real.

In short, and this review is short, Caulfield is a bloody hoot. She’s swearier, sharper, more caustic and better at her ad-libs than ever before, and her timing and delivery are slick and devastatingly effective.

She’ll make you laugh. Often at yourself. Her ‘Hollywood versus East Finchley’ RomCom is a highlight, her withering put-downs of her husband’s great ideas, which include suggestions for ransoming cats are brilliant, and her presence and brilliant characterisation all make this a very, very enjoyable hour.

At the end, she engages with her audience as they exit and pretends to care by rattling a bucket for charity. You can tell she actually does care, but like all of us, doesn’t care about stuff that really doesn’t matter. Unlike most of us, she can be honest about this, and make that superbly funny.

5 stars

Click to book tickets for Jo Caulfield – Pretending to Care
Stand 6, York Place
19:50
Aug 18-21, 23-28 1 hour