Review: Juliet Cowan: F*ck Off and Leave Me Alone

Juliet Cowan’s a well-known face on television, and is often the best thing in her scenes (her portrayal of hot mess Shelley in cult hit Phoneshop, for example was perfect). She’s only now making her Fringe debut, and in F*ck Off and Leave Me Alone she’s letting us into her real world, rather than inhabiting someone else’s. 

This charismatic performer’s got a lot of important things to express, most notably about the patriarchy being like a tapeworm inside women, and that the power of estrogen is not to be undermined (the unprecedented not-giving-a-fuck drive when the body stops producing it can result in some wild rides).

She dovetails revealing insight about midlife, for which she has a clever euphemism, with vivid stories from her teens, from the brutal honesty of friendship groups and burgeoning erotic fantasies to fears of dying having never had sex (who wants to go to a virgin heaven populated by Ann Widdecombe and a bunch of babies?).

Some of the devices – such as the Museum of Me, which contains objects from her life – don’t quite earn their place on the stage, and there’s a lingering sense that this show would be more comfortable in the theatre section. Cowan is a gifted storyteller, and this is a memorable and candid hour that will resonate with many.