Review: EDINBURGH 2024: MICHELLE BRASIER: LEGACY, Gilded Balloon Patter House

“So I’m on the hunt for Michelle Brasiers . . .”

As soon as you enter the venue for Michelle Brasier: Legacy, you are greeted by Brasier herself, who welcomes you with a smile and asks for your name. She then asks others entering if they have the same name and, if so, what their last name is, hoping to find two that match. From these first interactions, Brasier’s energy is already infectious as she runs up and down the aisles, climbing over seats to have conversations with audience members. 

Once the show actually starts, it is revealed why Brasier is looking for audience members with matching names. Recently, she went to a film screening at a cinema and, while the box office did not find the complimentary ticket she was expecting, they did have an envelope with her name on it containing 10.50 in cash. As someone with what she calls “Main Character Syndrome,” obsessed with the different versions of herself that she could have been, Brasier immediately dives into the mystery of the envelope filled with cash, determined to find the other Michelle Brasier. 

Throughout the show, there are several songs performed by Brasier on vocals and keyboard and her partner, Tim Lancaster, who accompanies on instruments and occasionally contributes to some moments of dialogue, becoming the person interacting with Brasier in the story.

Some of the songs in the show include one about being with extra skin and how her hands make her look like a witch, giving us the incredible line, “I can be 1,000 women” and another about the supposed war between the generations, with Brasier singing, “They were born old, we were born young.” There is also a great moment in which Brasier plays some of a song she wrote in 2005, describing it as a “manic pixie dream girl” song (she’s not wrong!). 

But the main song that Brasier returns to several times asks, “If I die at a younger age than I ought to, what will my legacy be?” While the song does reveal some funny and embarrassing moments from Brasier’s life, it gives the show more depth and allows us to see a more philosophical side of the comedian.

One of my favourite small aspects of the show was seeing how Lancaster reacted to different moments, cracking up in the background as Brasier goes into a range of stories, including one with the heartbreaking statement, “Sometimes men are right.” He and the audience also lose it during one of the highlights of the show when Brasier goes out into the aisles to demonstrate masculine versus feminine acting, a hilarious yet incredibly accurate bit. 

After all of these funny moments, we are abruptly brought to the point that led to Brasier questioning her legacy - the plane she is on suddenly has a concerning amount of turbulence and it appears that the plane is about to crash. It’s a wild change from Brasier’s stories about watching a documentary about pandas and breeding and is done in a fantastic way because, while we obviously know that Brasier doesn’t die in a plane crash, there is still a strong amount of tension and concern from the audience. 

Michelle Brasier: Legacy is a brilliant hour of musical comedy that uses a small coincide in Brasier’s life to lead into themes of the meaning of life and what one’s life could be if different choices had been made. Brasier’s infectious energy makes the show even more enjoyable than it already is, allowing audience members to feel as though they are catching up with a close friend and learning about their crazy adventures.

Michelle Brasier: Legacy ran until 26 August at Gilded Balloon Patter House - Doonstairs.

To post a comment, you must register and login.