Isy Suttie is best known for her role as Dobby on “Peep Show” but in this one woman show she manages to justify her solo performance.
“Love Lost in the British Retail Industry” is set in Suttie’s home town of Matlock and is a story of boy meets girl, boy meets another girl and then fairy godmother saves the day.
Lisa is the heroine in this supermarket caper whilst Carl Butcher, the ironic vegan shelf stacker, is the man of her dreams. At a gig, Carl meets the Avril Lavigne / Alanis Morissette wannabe Mary Westenberger and it all goes downhill.
Suttie’s portrayal of the fairy godmother is fantastic, her pantomime claims to fame bring a massive grin to the faces of the audience and she inevitably saves the day.
Suttie is an extremely talented singer songwriter which is expertly demonstrated in this show. Playing all the roles could have been a disaster but her use of accents helps to differentiate the characters. Carl was a little hard to understand at times but that’s not unexpected from a woman impersonating a man.
The great thing about this show is that Suttie doesn’t go straight into the supermarket musical and so it avoids being confusing. Her small introduction and explanation of the show gives great context and gently prepares the audience for the musical.
She begins with explaining the weekly letters from her mother, still residing in Matlock, which are extremely entertaining. The story of a heroine addict asking for tin foil is a particular highlight.
Suttie can easily be compared to a modern day Victoria Wood with her comedy song writing, which actually takes real talent to pull off, but this comparison seems too easy. Suttie is different to Wood and should be judged on her own talents not compared to others.
“Love Lost” is a brilliant show, and while it might be more heart warming than hilarious, it is still highly recommended.