Morven Smith: One In A Million

An afternoon show on the first day of the Free Fringe is, as you might expect, a bit rough and sparsely attended. Smith is quite gutsy in playing to four people, two of them reviewers, and although she isn't able to call on the level of audience participation she might have hoped for, she still gives it a good bash. It's a confessional, autobiographical show that dips into Smith's past, covering her experience as a teacher, her many crashed cars and her terrible love affairs, which have included divorce and domestic abuse. She's a charming presence and the audience develop a palpable affection for her as the show progresses.

Smith is quite new to comedy and it does show. Too many of the anecdotes hang on weak gags or no gags at all, and at times she leaves a story midway to start talking about something unrelated. It will improve as the Fringe goes on, but Smith will need more than one Fringe to polish her act to a professional standard. Not the best show at the Fringe, but worth seeing if you want to watch a nice person trying to find their comic voice.