National Theatre Live: Fleabag

I love the BBC series Fleabag (especially the second season with Hot Priest) so I was really excited to see the National Theatre Live presentation of the acclaimed one-woman show that started it all!  It was filmed live from the Wyndham Theatre in London's West End during its run in 2019 and it was screened at the Broadway yesterday by the Tanner Humanities Center and Salt Lake Film Society.  Phoebe Waller-Bridge is both humorous and heartbreaking as a twenty-something woman navigating modern life in London.  There is a framing device with Fleabag behaving inappropriately during a job interview before and after describing her on-again off-again relationship with her boyfriend Harry, her random hook-ups with men she meets on the tube, her addiction to porn, her alienation from her family, particularly her sister Claire, and her struggle to keep her guinea pig-themed cafe running all while trying to come to terms with her guilt over the death of her best friend and business partner Boo.  I really love the subversive humor because the situations are actually quite sad but Waller-Bridge uses them as fodder for her comedy (I think the appeal of the character is that using humor as a coping mechanism for the vicissitudes of life is something a lot of people can relate to).  Waller-Bridge is absolutely captivating, even though she rarely leaves a stool located on an empty stage, because she is able to create so many different characters with her delivery, facial expressions, and body language.  I loved the interaction between her and her sister Claire but my favorite was when she imitated her guinea pig listening to music!  This was so much fun (these NT Live screenings at the Broadway always draw a big and energetic crowd) and I am looking forward to Present Laughter in November, Nye in January, and The Importance of Being Earnest in March (go here for more information).