Review: ALISON SPITTLE: SOUP, Soho Theatre

“If anyone breaks my jaw, they’ll never change my lifestyle”

Alison Spittle: Soup is not a show entirely dedicated to soup. But, fear not, soup fans - there are definitely bits about soup spread throughout, as Spittle admits that the show began as “an outlet for her love of soup.” We are introduced to a WhatsApp group she has been in for years, “a beautiful, supportive place” known as the “Soup Sharing WhatsApp Group.” 

We learn that Spittle is a woman of spite, which she makes clear by stating, “I would rather not heal than let my enemies win” after manifesting some good things for people she doesn’t like through a loving-kindness meditation. She also tells us a revenge story in which she sings Tina Turner with spite, something hilarious compared to the compassionate and thoughtful woman behind the music. 

The highlight of the show is when Spittle tells us about when she was the maid of honour for her sister’s wedding and had planned a hen do to Butlin’s, which she refers to as “a safe space for mad bastards.” From the instant they arrive, the Spittle siblings are making waves, with the poor pride getting knocked out and being wheeled around in a wheelchair while Spittle carried a three-foot inflatable penis at half-mast. I won’t spoil the second part of the story, as it is truly something that needs to be heard within the show to fully appreciate it, but I genuinely had tears in my eyes as Spittle and her sisters returned to Butlin’s, once again bringing along some good old-fashioned family chaos. 

But, along with the spite and soup, Spittle does go into some more serious topics including how she was diagnosed with C-PTSD after a man broke into her house, a traumatic event that she had made a standup show about, crying after each performance. Her description of a panic attack as someone mental calling in to a radio show is incredibly accurate and brings some humour to a dark situation without taking away from its impact. She also uses her garden as a metaphor for her life, as she has found that growing plants is her form of self-care, particularly growing strawberries (she has yet to find success with growing potatoes, which she claims is a “self hate crime” as an Irish woman).

There is minimal crowd work in the show as it is mostly Spittle telling stories, though the ending did go a bit off track as Spittle began chatting with an audience member in the front row, quickly realising that he was a 15-year-old boy named Felix from Germany who didn’t know what an NDA was and had asked the person he was with what it meant. This led to a conversation about differences in generations that had the audience cracking up and Spittle turning away from Felix so she wouldn’t get distracted and ask him more questions. 

Alison Spittle: Soup is a delightful show, regardless of whether the metaphor at the end works. Spittle is a fantastic storyteller and takes audience members through several wild stories that will have them howling with laughter.

Alison Spittle: Soup ran from 20 to 23 March at Soho Theatre.

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