Helen Thorn is Arty Farty
“Arty Farty” is Helen Thorn’s first full length festival show. It’s early in the run and nerves got a little in the way of Helen’s performance as she began, but as the show progressed so did Helen’s confidence and the quality of the show.
Helen has tapped into a rich vein of material here – exposing the hypocrisies and idiosyncrasies of the “arts world”. The show is broken into seven sections and set up as kind of faux gallery tour with each section working progressively to track Helen’s ‘arty farty career’, from her first ballet class to working at the Venice Biennale.
There are four sections of stand up interspersed with character creations. The characters are strong and right on the money. They help illustrate Helen’s experiences, adding an extra dimension to her story. At these moments, when Helen steps away from being herself and talking with another voice her confidence is strengthened and her brightness shines through.
Helen highlights the elitism, self loathing and bitchiness implicit in the art community but never alienates the audience. She is self effacing and honest, wining the audience over with these qualities.
This is a show that will appeal to anyone, but it is particularly poignant for those of us who have been chewed up and spat up by the art world. The laughs are a little hit and miss but they are here for this show. Helen has a bubbly character which is transmitted on stage. She is a promising comedian with a bright future. As her confidence in this format increases so will the strength of this show and future shows.
For bookings go to Helen Thorn is Arty Farty