Review: TATTY MACLEOD: FUGUE, Soho Theatre

“Belonging isn’t bureaucratic”

As soon as I saw the description of Tatty Macleod: Fugue, I knew that I wanted to see the show. Having lived in the United States, France and now England, I was interested in seeing how Macleod would take her online sketches discussing how English culture differs from French culture to the stage.

For those unfamiliar with her work, Macleod is a comedian who was born in Zimbabwe, raised in France and then returned to England to face the shock of the two cultures. Her online sketch career has given her millions of views and thousands of followers. 

From the second Macleod steps on stage, she commands the attention of the room in a sparkly beret and trousers, a black and white striped shirt and bright pink hair, an interesting mix of her English and French background. She begins the show by showing off her “Frenchdar,” her ability to tell which people in the audience are French (spoiler alert: it’s not very effective but it is quite amusing!). As the self-proclaimed “Carrie Bradshaw of Franco-British culture,” Macleod is here to tell the audience just how different the French and English can be. 

Part of what makes Fugue so great is that it is based on Macleod’s own experiences living in a small town in Brittany with her mum (vegan and sober, an unusual combination of traits for France) and sisters, doing her best to hide what makes her English and desperately attempting to fit in with the French people around her. The English want to be French, but the French certainly do not want to be English! She hilariously compares her English self to a werewolf trying to escape, including a great bit about unconsciously making a chip butty in school. 

According to Macleod, there is one word that can define the difference between the French and the English - moderation. This is particularly clear when discussing how women typically behave in the two countries. Indeed, the Englishwoman certainly has a reputation in Europe, which Macleod illustrates using the iconic image of a woman based out on the pavement, using a piece of pizza as a pillow. She compares English hen dos to the French equivalent, the “Enterrement de vie de jeune fille” - quite literally, “the burial of life of a young woman.” As Macleod says, “They’re having a funeral, we’re having a party.” 

Macleod also spends time talking about her experience as a tour guide in Paris, which was especially interesting as she had never actually been to Paris. But that was not an issue for her, as no French people took her tours - instead, it was all Americans. I found myself nearly in tears of laughter over Macleod’s description of the classic American tourist, which, as an American, may have been a bit too accurate! 

Of course, it wouldn’t be a cultural comparison show without discussing the differences in French and English men, from how they first approach women to what to expect in a sexual relationship from them. The Englishman is a nervous and self-loathing creature who requires alcohol in order to interact with women, while the Frenchman is already dancing his way over to the women in the room, claiming that they are “not like other girls” before immediately turning to their friend and asking for a threesome. The generalisations are funny because of just how accurate they are, particularly a bit she has about the expectations of sex with men from each country. 

The show, like most that originate at the Fringe, ends on a note of melancholy, as Macleod discusses the impact of Brexit on her life and her identity. She discusses her return to England and how she experienced reverse culture shock, what she calls the fifth stage of cultural adaptation, starting to only be able to see the worst in both cultures. Unlike English comedians who will get dark and then end with a joke, Macleod is going to “leave you on a feeling of melancholy and dread,” truly showing off her Frenchness.

Ultimately, Tatty Macleod: Fugue is a brilliant hour of comedy that will hit particularly hard for those who have experienced becoming a part of multiple cultures, struggling to figure out which one to identify with. As an American who lived in France and currently lives in the UK, I certainly loved it!

Tatty Macleod: Fugue runs until 13 January at Soho Theatre.

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