Writer and Director: Andy Moseley
To tell one life story in an hour is ambitious, but to tell two means that a great deal is left out or hurried through. Almost Famous examines the attempt by an ageing female actor to return to the theatre. Once adored by millions, she now has an audition for a touring show that she says, in the best joke of the evening, will take in a series of oxymoronic venues such as the Wolverhampton Grand and the Liverpool Hope.
Indeed, most of Andy Moseley’s funniest writing comes at the top of the show when Emily (or is her name Charlotte?) dictates a tribute for a recently deceased dame to her agent to post on social media. It doesn’t matter if Emily hardly knew her: no one will remember. Anyone around at the time is either dead or doolally, she remarks. And one less dame in the world means that Emily has a better chance of being offered a role, even if the character is an old demented woman.
Played by Jac Wheble with initial delightfully camp bitterness, Emily is a throwback to the old days, with her scarves and her turban. She’s from a dying breed in a profession now peopled by reality TV stars. She recalls her glamorous past, from being in the first London production of Cats, conquering Broadway and then taking Hollywood by storm. She namedrops gleefully.
But this is only one side of the tale. Halfway through the show, Emily offers another version of her life, and the jokes disappear altogether. This ‘truer’ account casts a sense of melancholy in the dressing room where the play takes place in real time, very different from the glittering memories she previously provided.
However, instead of trying to tell two whole life stories, Almost Famous might, in future, focus on a single decade, or indeed, a single incident from the lives of Emily/Charlotte. At the moment, it covers too much, from a childhood in Australia to working in entertainment dives in Blackpool, from Top of the Pops to an unwanted child in the Midlands. These location changes give plenty of scope for the tremendous Whelbe to show off her accent skills but at the expense of pace.
Runs until 15 August 2026
Camden Fringe 2026 runs until 30 August
