Review: Lynn Faces, New Diorama Theatre

Leah, a shy, recently dumped woman, starts a punk band themed around the character of Lynn from Alan Partridge. Even as a connoisseur of shows with unusual premises, this one jumped out as being off the wall. Lynn Faces won the Birds of Paradise Exceptional Theatre Award at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe festival, which is a strong vote of confidence in favour of this premise, so I went down to the New Diorama Theatre in my best sports-casual clothing, to see what it was all about.

Lynn Faces is very funny, providing a steady stream of jokes that come from the interaction of the four odd-ball characters who make up the eponymous band. The writing hits the awkward tone of Alan Partridge, and the show being a gig within a play – with the audience playing the role of attendees at the band’s first, barely rehearsed concert – is reminiscent of Knowing Me Knowing You and This Time with Alan Partridge.

Writer Laura Horton replicates the Partridge signature humour of everything going wrong in ways that are as publicly humiliating as possible. Extended moments of awkward near-silence and small talk capture some of the more avant-garde moments of Partridge, particularly those in the first season of I’m Alan Partridge.

I laughed throughout, but there is unexplored potential for more mad-cap comedy in the premise. There is some repetition of character jokes, such as the mild-mannered primary school teacher being the craziest member of the group, and I did enjoy the very funny comedy set pieces, such as a stuffed cow falling onto the stage.

There are, of course, a lot of references for Partridge fans to love. Aside from the bizarre spectacle of a band being based around the character of Partridge’s long-suffering assistant, possibly the least punk person ever, there are Lynn masks, references to big plates, traffic and a song about sex people (if you know, you know) which are all hilarious.

The narrative moves from comedy to tragedy as the details of Leah’s breakup emerge. It is a bold decision to make a comedy show about a novelty band so sad, but the turn towards misfortune delivers strong emotional impact. As the details of Leah’s ex-boyfriend’s control and abuse are revealed, the comedy is dropped to focus on character drama and Leah’s struggle to move on from an abusive relationship. This all builds to an emotional climax where Leah finally escapes, which is a satisfying resolution.

There are many great comedy songs, such as those referencing snazzy cardigans or the time Lynn calls Alan’s ex-wife a “fat cow,” which are funny, minimalistic and blunt. This played into the humour, the awkwardness and the punk ethos.

Lynn Faces embraces the spirit of punk by focusing on a band whose members can barely play their instruments but still have a huge amount of energy. The scrappy, DIY nature of the show, as well as the focus on community and women coming together to stand up to an abusive man, make this show much more punk than John Lydon charging a fortune in a large venue to play songs from 40 years ago. It was also great to hear music from Amyl and the Sniffers, Bikini Kill, Dream Nails and Lambrini Girls played before the show.

As someone in the overlapping region of the Venn Diagram of people who love punk and Partridge, I greatly enjoyed Lynn Faces. If the concept speaks to you, you will love it. Otherwise, if you don’t find it a little too idiosyncratic, they you can certainly enjoy the bizarreness for its own sake.

Cast: Madeleine MacMahon, Peyvand Sadeghian, Millie Faraway & Laura Horton

Written by: Laura Horton
Directed by: Jessica Daniels
Composed & Musical Direction by: Anna Wheatley
Produced by: Naomi Turner
Lighting & Video Design by: Megan Lucas
Design by: Tabitha Stock
Production Manager: Titch Gosling

Lynn Faces plays at New Diorama until Saturday 1 March.