GRACE Tuxedo Cat Until 18 Mar 2018 Review by Paige Mulholland “Grace” has an interesting premise – the story of a comedian who, after years of performing as the male half of a double act, re-enters the stage… as a woman. Although Katie Reddin-Clancy’s dialogue was a little tangential and her characters weren’t always clear, this show has some funny moments and builds an interesting dialogue on show business, gender, spirituality and what it means to truly find oneself. Throughout “Grace”, solo performer Katie Reddin-Clancy plays a variety of characters – prim and proper theatre owner Sheryl, all-business entertainment agent Anna, the transgender comedian Zora, and the ghost of Zora’s former partner and the other half of her double act, Grace. Reddin-Clancy plays a few other characters in the course of the hour-long show, but it was often unclear who these characters were and what part they played in the show. As with the number of characters portrayed, the numbers of themes in the show was also a little overambitious. Gender, women in the arts, the sacrifices we make for “show business”, work-life balance, spirituality, feminism… it’s a lot of topics to cover in an hour. Perhaps “Grace” would have felt more focused and less tangential if it focused on covering a few characters and a few themes well, instead of casting such a wide net. Zora’s stand-up comedy act was clearly the most popular part of the show, earning many laughs and animating the small, quiet audience. Reddin-Clancy is a confident and polished performer throughout, but this stand-up element also seems to be the part where she is most “in her element”. “Grace” is topical, diverse (perhaps a little too much so) and has some great moments. With some further tweaking, it will be an excellent independent Fringe show. Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)