Edinburgh 2022: Review: THE MANY VOICES OF DEBRA STEPHENSON, Assembly

Thirty years on from her Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut, actress and impressionist Debra Stephenson brings The Many Voices of Debra Stephenson to the festival.

Starting off with a mix of spoken impressions, there is a thin plot running through this show where Stephenson has asked her celebrity friends to join her onstage and she runs through their responses. From Anne Robinson to Davina McCall, her mannerisms are as spot on as the voices.

It's when she switches to singing impressions that really lets her talent shine. With a beautiful big belting voice, she takes on icons such as Shirley Bassey and Lulu.

This is a show that has previously been toured as Stephenson makes reference to the fact that she typically has a full band rather than just a keyboard player. While a lot of the material has obviously been perfected, she takes the time to take requests from the audience and try out new impressions.

Some of the jokes are ever so slightly cheesy but she is a charismatic performer and can get away with it. Met with a standing ovation, Stephenson is skilled impressionist who has created a charming hour of comedy.

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