I attempted to see SMUT last year but, as so often happens at the Edinburgh Fringe, my diary had other ideas and I couldn’t make the timings work.
This year, however, I made a beeline for it.
And having finally entered the world of Entendre Entendre, I’m rather glad I did.
SMUT introduces us to former burlesque superstar Entendre Entendre as she launches her memoir and takes us on a journey through her many – and I mean many – former lovers.
What follows is a mixture of song, striptease, poetry, storytelling and audience interaction as Entendre shares some of the wild, weird and apparently true experiences that have filled her life.
From the moment I entered the performance space, the setting felt completely appropriate for the show.
It had the atmosphere of Entendre Entendre’s private boudoir, and rather than simply feeling like audience members arriving to watch a performance, it felt as though we’d been invited into her world as guests.
Possibly slightly questionable guests, but guests nonetheless.
That intimacy works particularly well for a production like SMUT because so much of its success relies on the relationship between performer and audience.
Over the course of the show, we get to know considerably more about Entendre: what she likes, what she wants and, naturally, rather a lot about her former lovers.
Some information I probably wasn’t expecting to acquire when I woke up that morning.
But that’s the Fringe for you.
There is audience interaction throughout the production, but importantly it is handled consensually.
That makes a difference.
Audience participation can either add enormously to a show or leave everyone desperately staring at the floor hoping the performer doesn’t notice them. Here, the interaction feels like part of the spectacle rather than an attempt to embarrass somebody who happened to choose the wrong seat.
It helps create the feeling that we’re all attending this slightly outrageous memoir launch together.
And yes, there is burlesque.
So if you’re particularly shy, you might occasionally need to avert your eyes.
Although given the title is SMUT, I’m not entirely sure what else you were expecting.
Bryn Woz delivers the character with confidence and knows how to control the room. There is a strong rapport with the audience, and the humour works because Entendre herself feels like a fully realised personality rather than simply a vehicle for a succession of risqué jokes.
There are plenty of comical moments throughout, but there’s also an interesting theatricality to the whole thing.
The songs, poetry, storytelling, striptease and audience interaction give the production variety. Just as you become accustomed to one style of performance, it moves into something else, helping maintain the momentum.
The show was also well attended when I visited, and there was a clear sense that the audience understood exactly what sort of evening they’d signed themselves up for.
Perhaps the best way I can describe SMUT is this:
It feels like drinking a glass of fine champagne with a plate of dirty fries on the side.
There’s something refined and sophisticated about the way the show is presented, but sitting right alongside it is a generous helping of filth.
And somehow the combination works remarkably well.
That’s actually part of the charm of the production. SMUT doesn’t need to choose between being polished and being naughty. It can be both.
There is a knowing quality to the humour, and Bryn understands when to push the ridiculousness and when simply to let Entendre’s personality do the work.
Most importantly, the show entertains.
It’s confidently delivered, funny and distinctive, with a central character who knows exactly how to command her invited guests.
I waited a year to finally get SMUT into my Fringe diary.
Thankfully, it was worth the wait.
A polished, playful and wonderfully filthy evening in Entendre Entendre’s boudoir.
Champagne, anyone?
I’ll bring the dirty fries.
★★★★ 4 Stars
“Deliciously sophisticated with just the right helping of filth.” — ★★★★
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/bryn-woz-smut
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