laura solon (unedited – 07/03/09)
Posted by jameskettle on March 9, 2009
Seemingly poised for stardom thanks to a knack for creating instantly memorable and grotesque comic characters, it’d be easy to dub Laura Solon the next Catherine Tate. What makes her different is that she specialises in brilliantly written verbal comedy, displayed at hugely enjoyable length in this latest Radio 4 series. Almost every sketch is a showcase for ultra-deft characterisation and always surprising gags. There’s a real sense of superior craftsmanship about this series, making her seem more like a successor to the tradition of Fry and Laurie than anyone else on the contemporary scene. Her various alter egos allow Solon to mix it up a bit, with some characters offering delicate observational comedy (check out the divorcee entrepreneur perched forever on the verge of tears) and others diving headlong into the surreal – her shrilly demented Teutonic heiress, forever plotting coups in the company of a china model of a lion, is a blindingly original highpoint. Solon’s surely going to be bringing this stuff to TV soon (following her startling cameos as the Polish barista in Harry and Paul) – this release shows exactly why she deserves it.
