They say that to write well, one should write what they know. Jamie Finn’s strength seems to know himself well enough to mock himself mercilessly. Nobody’s Talking About Jamie (Taylor’s Version) is a comedic tale about a man who falls out of love and then discovers a (rather toxic) platonic friendship that leads to an incredible but miserable lifestyle, with added spin classes.
This is a one-man show with a comedic story, though it veers slightly into stand-up at times as Jamie mines one part of the story for as many gags as possible.
Jamie presents his tale through energetic storytelling and the odd song, as well as the strategic use of an exercise bike as a prop. Jamie’s adventure is an over-the-top retelling of his own experiences, though, at points, the storytelling pauses to convince the audience as to how true (or untrue) the next scene may be. This adds to the effect; this is a tale of heartache, terrible life choices and an inability to understand oneself, and we lean in to know more.
The character in this story is a bit of a blank canvas who, having no strong opinions of their own, gets pulled into ridiculous moments by simply saying yes to everything. It’s hard not to feel for Jamie whilst laughing at all the problems he’s caused for himself and others.
There are moments in both the narrative and the performance that are strongly reminiscent of Tony Hancock. Finn’s hapless idiot who finds themselves part of a bohemian culture beyond their experience, with sarcasm and self-deprecation as their only defence. Though at times the story of a young man, unlucky in love, turning into a Bohemian fool thanks to the lack of love from a (not very) good woman is one we’ve seen before, Jamie Finn delivers it with a lot of passion and fun that it’s hard not to grin all the way through.
Fun and rather clever.
Edinburgh Fringe Tickets can be found here.
