Lily Bevan: Pheasant Plucker

Lily Bevan really doesn't seem very odd at all. For a performer whose modus operandi is to inhabit an eclectic array of eccentric characters, she conducts herself with a strange calm. Her script is suitably madcap, but she delivers each line as though teaching poise and elocution in a Victorian boarding school.

Often this works. Harriet, the protagonist of Pheasant Plucker's loosely connected series of sketches, is a falconer with abandonment issues, whose upper crust background and tranquil life in the country fit seamlessly with the softly spoken manner of her creator. Upon being deserted by her 17^th bird, she seeks her fortune in London and experiences all the big city has to offer, from palm reading to yoga. At one point the narrative introduces us to a cook in Henry VIII's kitchen, but it's best not to worry too much about continuity. Some of her cast would benefit from more frenetic characterisation, but the comic's leisurely pace ensures that a capable script is at least left to stand on its own feet.

RADA alumnus Bevan comes across as a genuinely funny individual, and not just an aspiring actor using the sketch show format to showcase her range. The titular play on words that occurs throughout Pheasant Plucker is, however, tedious in the extreme, and a reminder that her writing abilities are still in their germinal stages. For a debut solo show, this is incredibly accomplished, while the star's abilities are likely to grow with her confidence.