Review: JAMIE FINN: NOBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE, Soho Theatre

“We’re all trying to move forward with our lives on a bike that is static”

Walking into the Soho Theatre Upstairs for Jamie Finn: Nobody’s Talking About Jamie, you are greeted by a bit of an unusual sight - an exercise bike. Finn enters wearing an outfit one might find someone wearing at the gym, with a Blondie t-shirt and bright green gym shorts, and the show begins with him yelling, “Soho Theatre are we ready to rock?” And, after cheers, a quiet, “That is a shame.” Thus begins a wild hour of comedy. 

Finn starts his story by telling us about how he had fallen in love with a woman, Cordelia, and had been with her for five years before they broke up. In an effort to change his life, he moves to a new flat with a woman named Lily, whose only requirement for tenants on SparerRoom is, “Must be interesting.” You may still be wondering why there is an exercise bike in the theatre. Well, Lily, the woman he moves in with in an old warehouse affectionately known as “The Factory,” is a spin class instructor and she brings Finn into the world of spin classes as well as a bohemian world of actors, artists and rockstars. 

Unfortunately, just as Finn is starting to really get into the biking aspect of the show, one of the pedals falls off, forcing him to stop and try to fix the issue. This leads to a hilarious section about how he specifically bought a new bike as he was worried that the one from the Edinburgh Fringe would break; something ironic in hindsight. So, instead of pedalling like normal, whenever Finn is on the bike, he aggressively mimes pedalling with one leg, making some of the bits even funnier than they might have been if the bike had remained intact.

Finn is an incredibly gifted storyteller who has the ability to bring audience members into the tales he tells. I particularly loved the way he described “The Factory” he lived in, as his words truly made me feel as though I was in the building with him. He is also quite a talented musician, singing a few songs while accompanying himself on the acoustic guitar. My favourite song was probably a rock ballad about mistaken identity, as Finn has been told many, many times that he looks like a range of famous people, including the kid from Home Alone, Gwendoline Christie and Ellen Degeneres.

Jamie Finn: Nobody’s Talking About Jamie is a fantastic hour of comedic storytelling and songs that will have everybody talking about Jamie on their way out of the Soho Theatre. Finn has created a fantastic piece that has a surprising amount of heart, even with the amount of jokes throughout the show. 

Jamie Finn: Nobody’s Talking About Jamie ran from 3 to 4 June at Soho Theatre.

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