Pauline Goldsmith - Should Have Had the Fish

In 2002 Pauline Goldsmith had an enormous and deserved success on the Fringe with Bright Colours Only, an hilarious yet profoundly moving show in the form of an Irish wake.

Sadly, Should Have Had the Fish doesn't repeat the magic. It has its moments but it feels like a work in progress which hasn't yet been shaped tightly enough to work as either drama or stand up comedy. At present it falls rather awkwardly between the two schools.

It starts well with the performer, dressed as a waitress, taking orders from the queue for the feelings and emotions they would like to flavour the show. Once inside she starts to mix the elements of life; a pinch of hope, a dollop of despair, a great deal of the elderly behaving badly. As she describes put downs she has known, religious intolerances she has met, a Catholic upbringing and attitudes to Tommy Sheridan, she rambles to and fro in front of the audience in a somewhat inconsequential manner.

She's near the top of her game in talking about the female recorded voice in the crematorium or in how close the Far Eastern tsunami hit to home.

There are laughs, particularly readings from a Catholic guide to good sex and marriage, and moments of anguish but at present it's too unfocussed and lacks a spine to pull it all together. Pauline Goldsmith is too good a performer not to work on forging it into shape and I would expect it to improve even over a few days but sadly at present it's not quite there.