Lucy Pearman @ Heroes, Monkey Barrel
Maid of Cabbage is a wonderfully odd first hour of character and prop-based fun
The premise os Lucy Pearman's new show is that she's a maid "from the olden days" who must find the perfect cabbage as she is yet to be wed. She's very sweet-natured and softly-spoken but harbours a secret "bad side".
There's some fantastically silly moments involving her uptight and lecherous boss, a cabbage competition and a never-ending telephone. Pearman is also a skilled physical performer. Watching her try to get on a horse (read: man) was a highlight. Likewise, her facial asides, which seemed to go largely unnoticed by the rest of the audience, really added to the character.
For most of her jokes to work well, though, Pearman needs an enthusiastic audience. On a quiet day, it may be a completely different show. Towards the end of the hour today it starts to lose momentum and the ending was anticlimactic. Still, Maid of Cabbage is an endlessly inventive and charming debut hour.