Barbara Nice brings big-hearted laughter to Much Wenlock - review

Nothing quite prepared the audience at the Edge Arts Centre on Friday for the joyous whirlwind that is Barbara Nice.

From the moment she bustled onstage, all warmth, mischief and charm, the room shifted from polite expectation to full-blown communal celebration. This is not comedy you simply sit back and watch; it’s comedy that you become part of, and by the end of the evening, the entire audience felt like invited guests at the best party in town.

Barbara’s genius lies in her ability to find humour in the everyday while gently dissolving the barrier between performer and audience. Spontaneous exchanges, affectionate teasing, and brilliantly observed asides drew waves of laughter across the room. There was non-stop silliness: impromptu singing, gleeful audience participation, and a game of musical statues that had the entire theatre on its feet, dancing with abandon. The highlight for many was the parade of ‘celebrity lookalikes’ plucked from the crowd, including cameos by Sally Gunnell, Glenn Campbell, Alan Carr and a particularly convincing Barry Gibb earning both applause and disbelief when hitting the high notes in ‘Staying Alive’.

The evening built to a fittingly absurd and heartwarming finale with a raffle with prizes including a Fray Bentos pie, a tin of peas and a large bottle of Lambrini, each winner being required to dance onstage before claiming their spoils. It perfectly encapsulated Barbara Nice’s appeal: generous, daft, and rooted in shared joy. In a world that often feels heavy, this was a reminder of the simple, vital power of laughter to connect and uplift. Few performers could turn a theatre into such a unified, feel-good gathering, and Barbara Nice does it effortlessly.

By Peter Neale

This is one of many wonderful and varied events at the Edge Arts Centre this year. Keep up to date by subscribing to the newsletter at edgeartscentre.com.