REVIEW | Confetti, Soho Theatre
★ ★ ★ ★
Reviewer - Eleanor
*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review
Confetti is a classic and fun-filled romantic comedy written and performed by Will Jackson. This one-man show was initially performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2022 and has now arrived in London.
Felix (Will Jackson) is a stereotypical gay best friend to Helen, and they have been working together since they were children to plan her perfect wedding. Now as adults, and with his job as an events organiser, Felix is given the opportunity to make her dreams a reality. But things become more complicated after the hen party when Felix meets Daniel. As their relationship blossoms the wedding takes a back seat. As things start to go wrong and Daniel’s true nature is revealed, can Felix stop the day from ending in disaster?
Throughout the 70-minute show, you will be transported from nightclub to gym, to restaurant and finally to a wedding venue in this recognisable story of friendship and love. With creatives Hannah Birkin (Director), Maria Terry (Designer) and Tom Rackham (Composer & Sound Designer), I had an enjoyable night at its debut at the Soho Theatre. If you are going to see this show, make sure you have your party poppers at the ready!
On entering the theatre I was greeted by my very own party bag; this included a party hat, mini torch and party popper which were all to be used later in the show. There was also a card going around that you could sign in preparation for Helen’s hen do. This all felt very immersive a created a party atmosphere. As the show began the audience remained very involved and Will engaged brilliantly with everyone. I particularly enjoyed the inclusive game of passing the parcel.
As the show progresses, the audience takes a step back and Felix introduces us to a varied cast of characters and guides us through his story. Will is naturally charming and funny throughout, although he does lean into gay stereotypes a fair amount. He brings so much joy and energy to the role of Felix it is hard not to root for him and engage with his struggles. The other characters that Will describes are also fairly well fleshed out. Although you are left to your own imagination to decide how these people look, their characteristics are recognisable: the ‘wellness’ loving aunt, the ruthless boss, or Helen herself trying to drop a dress size before her wedding. Confetti’s funny characterisations and observations may not be innovative, but they still brought a lot of humour to the show.
Despite the limited scenery and only a few props and costume changes, I was able to suspend my disbelief as Felix moved from night clubs to posh brunches with ease. The musical backing was also very effective at enhancing the simple aesthetics of the sets.
Confetti ends at the wedding itself, with Felix conflicted as to how the events of the last week will affect his best man speech. It was a shame that, unlike the hen do, the audience were not involved in the same way here which made me feel like I was on the side lines as opposed to part of the narrative. But like any classic rom com, even with disaster you know exactly how everything will end. And for Felix himself, his story becomes something far more real.
Confetti hits all the typical beats of any well-written romantic comedy. But in this case, I really enjoyed seeing the ‘gay best friend’ as the main character who was looking for their own love story. Will Jackson kept a consistently high energy throughout the show but was still able to capture the more heart-rending moments. His characterisation was fantastic, and very funny too. A terrific way to spend an evening!
