Review by Harry Bower
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The folks at Soho Theatre can be heartily relied upon to bring the stars of Edinburgh Fringe to the front door of London’s off-West End scene, and that’s exactly what they’ve done with Amy Gledhill’s smash hit. Make Me Look Fit on the Poster is exactly what you would hope for when you see the words “Winner: Best Comedy Show” plastered across the marketing alongside a slew of four and five star reviews. A little over an hour of hilarious stand-up comedy woven into a quilt of endearing self-deprecation and Northern fruitiness. What’s not to love?

Like most good comedy this routine could be described as a therapy session for the comic. From stories of traumatic relationships to awkward sexual encounters, embarrassing treetop rescues to confessions of unusual crushes, piece by piece we learn more about our emcee’s life experiences. They are delivered with a dry sarcasm and wit quintessential of Northerners (Gledhill is from Hull), but you won’t find any “Northerners are a bit dim” stereotypes here. Quite the opposite in fact - our host is confident and sassy while remaining grounded and lovable. Though that confidence has not always shone through, as we learn with more some heavier contrasting stories about body image, self-esteem, and sexual assault.
What Gledhill does so well is to create a consistent thread running through all her anecdotes and punchlines which while not always unpredictable or surprising, creates a really effective, trackable, fun narrative. That narrative is the vehicle by which the more serious themes in the show are able to commute. The outcome is a message which is fundamentally sad, challenging and relatable - yet consistently funny and completely uplifting. The way in which these themes clash against the reality of life is where Gledhill finds the funny, in addition to the silliness and playful language which provide so many of the LOLs.

The physicality on display makes Gledhill’s comedy particularly hiccup-inducing. I will remember the massage physical comedy for a long time - it’s clear that she has completely mastered this routine and refined it such that she knows how to wring every drop of laughter from the audience. If some threads meander and suffer from a lack of neatness in the finish, this is easily supplemented by the silly physicality introduced almost immediately in the next segment to ensure the tidal wave of giggles continues to lap the shore.
Amy Gledhill: Make Me Look Fit on the Poster plays at Soho Theatre until Saturday 08 February 2025. For more information visit: https://sohotheatre.com/events/amy-gledhill-make-me-look-fit-on-the-poster-2/
Photos by Paul Gilbey