Jo Caulfield: Thinking Bad Thoughts

115270 original

After a year's hiatus from the Fringe, Jo Caulfield is back and has, apparently, been thinking bad thoughts. I guess, though, that depends on what one's definition of bad thoughts is. One supposes it's not the pleasant—if comically stern—audience banter with which she opens the show. It's definitely not the minor gripes about the Olympics which follow an admission that her "default position is to not like people or things." It's probably not her annoyance at the young reality TV contestants Greg and Sophie who have a budget of only £750k with which to scrape onto the property ladder, nor the chapter and verse on the frustrations of shopping which, despite covering substantial retail acreage—from supermarket to village store, boutique to Primark—are unlikely to get her into trouble. Ah, but it could be...oh, it's time to go home now.

Perhaps what's more impressive is Caulfield's ability to wring some laughs from fairly mundane material. A hard-working comedian on the circuit, it's hard to deny that she's a pro who could deliver the phone book with at least some modicum of panache. It's perhaps symptomatic that some of her biggest laughs tonight come from a segue into the familiar territory of America-bashing. Sure, it's a staple of risk-free Radio 4 Sunday afternoon ribaldry, the stable-mate of Chavs being crap and Prince Edward being a bit gay. But, fair play, the rant is unfamiliarly formulated and nicely delivered. Still, when push comes to shove, is Jo Caulfield really thinking bad thoughts?

If only she would.