Maia Tassalini in ‘I Was 22 and Stunning’ (Review) ***

Maia Tassalini would want you to know that this show isn’t really about her; it’s about Monica Lewinsky. She tells the audience how she has been obsessed with Lewinsky and her life trajectory since the age of 13, when someone told Maia that Lewinsky was her celebrity lookalike.

For the audience members who aren’t familiar, Tassalini recounts the story of how Monica Lewinsky shot to infamy as a 22-year-old White House intern after her affair with the president at the time, Bill Clinton, was exposed. When preteen Tassalini discovered this salacious story, she began to imagine a future where she could ascend from her self-proclaimed status as a chubby nerd, to someone stunning and scandalous.

The premise of the stand-up hour is compelling, using Lewinsky as a lens through which to discuss the difficulties of being a young woman under public scrutiny, who occasionally makes some bad (but very sexy) decisions.

However, the execution of the show doesn’t quite deliver. Tassalini, though warmly funny and likeable, is obviously nervous. This is her debut Fringe appearance and as she pauses to read through her notes and remember her next joke, she sheepishly reminds the audience that we are still watching a preview. Totally fair.

A tendency to ramble on topics unrelated to her central theme takes away valuable time from building the story she actually wants to tell. Tassalini shines the most when she talks about the experience of being a young woman more generally, instead of being bogged down by long-winded anecdotes. As a soon-to-be 22-year-old, I was disappointed to find that the comedy just wasn’t that relatable.

Ultimately, the show lacks what most 22-year-olds lack themselves, direction and confidence. But Tassalini clearly has talent – I’m excited to see what she does next.

I Was 22 and Stunning is at Bunker Three at Pleasance Courtyard, 5th till 30th August (except 18th)

Photo credit: Maisy Banks

Words: Juliet Gartside