EDINBURGH 2014 - BWW Reviews: ELEANOR MORTON: LOLLIPOP, The Stand 4, August 8 2014

Eleanor Morton begins by telling us that she didn't want to do this show. Her counsellor thought it would be a good idea. Morton explains early on that she has suffered from anxiety since she was seven years old. Her counsellor has a jar of lollipops that she has never offered to Morton and she suspects that performing this show might be the way to get one.

She talks about her experience with her illness and breaks up the set with ukelele-led pop dittys. Her songs are amusing, Kate Nash-style storytelling, but can go on a little too long.

There are a lot of interesting ideas in her set. She goes out into the audience with a lucky dip of questions and responses to interact with the crowd as she admits her banter skills aren't quite up to scratch. Things start to get a little surreal with the introduction of her alcoholic imaginary animal known as "the confidence bunny" but it does raise quite a few laughs.

Eleanor Morton is an engaging but slightly nervous performer who doesn't seem entirely comfortable onstage for reasons that she has explained. She has some excellent observations and most of her stories boil down to her inherent disdain for Jessie J.

Eleanor Morton: Lollipop runs at The Stand 4 until August 24th.