Published Date: 22 March 2010
By Brian Donaldson
JENNY ECLAIR ****


CITIZENS' THEATRE, GLASGOW
IT MAY be the best part of two decades since Jenny Eclair blazed her way to Perrier Award-winning glory, but this Grumpy Old Woman still has plenty fire in her belly – although these days she might well assume that feeling to be a virulent case of chronic indigestion rather than the rabid burn of career ambition. In this relentlessly boisterous show, the 50-year-old is firmly focused on the limitations of her crumbling body: she can no longer squeeze herself into modern jeans, views her young Thai masseuse as a threat and the bits she was once proud of are now bent out of shape. Deafness, incontinence and hot flushes all get an airing here and there's a comfy chair provided should she need a bit of a sit down.

But don't be fooled. Eclair has the energy of a young Rik Mayall, cantering around the stage like a constipated pony, writhing around on the floor and mimicking a pole dance at the bus stop. Amid all the posturing about her advancing years, Eclair's concerns have remained steadfast; during her early 1990s heyday she riffed on the battleground that is the female frame, mocked the daftness of men and shouldered a general sense of outrage at the over-complicated modern world. Sure, her "old man" now has an OAP travel card and her daughter's preferred choice of refreshment is a Jack Daniel's and Coke rather than a Ribena, but in terms of style and content, Eclair has lost none of her verve. Her comedy is still reassuringly crude and, more importantly, wildly hilarious.