Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s devastatingly witty one-woman show, “Fleabag,” came to the Irvine Barclay Theatre for a one-day-only screening on Oct. 27. Fans gathered for the rare opportunity to watch a live recording of the play written and performed by Waller-Bridge — originally filmed in London’s West End in 2019.
Utilizing only a minimalistic set of just a stool and a small carpet, Waller-Bridge shines in the play — an hour-long monologue following the titular character, Fleabag, as she grapples with the deaths of her mother and her best friend. Fleabag struggles to stay afloat when her arguably poor decision-making puts an additional strain on her relationships with her family and friends.
The format of the play and scarcity of props and other actors contribute to the success of “Fleabag” — the play feels conversational and intimate. Waller-Bridge addresses the audience directly and impersonates other characters, making it feel like a friend is confiding in you.
“[Waller-Bridge] leaned into [the audience] as if they were her closest conspirators and confided Fleabag’s raciest secrets: her love of slutty little pizzas, her poorly timed sexual urges, her joy in her own hypocrisies and flaws,” said Deborah Frances-White, a close friend of Waller-Bridge, in an introduction to “Fleabag: The Special Edition,” an extended edition of the play’s script. “The audience were captivated, thrilled and in hysterics all at once.”
Another contributing factor to the conversational storytelling of the play is Waller-Bridge’s seat-of-your-pants approach to writing.
“I feel like I’m strangling an idea if I plan it. So far I’ve just written people saying things until I get interested then get all those bits together and string them together with a story. That can leave me writing for a long time, but it can be worth it,” Waller-Bridge said in a WordPress interview.
Fleabag is described as “angry, pervy, cruel, forgetful, unforgiving, flippant, capricious but undeniably honest” on the original Kickstarter page. Even though her personality is abrasive, the intimacy created by her honesty — and having the audience in not only on the jokes but also the inner workings of her mind — makes it difficult not to root for her.
“This young woman was in so much pain and so much self-denial, but she was so funny,” said Vicky Jones, director and a longtime friend of Waller-Bridge, also in “Fleabag: The Special Edition.”
The play strikes a skillful balance between side-splitting comedy and gut-wrenching drama, keeping the audience enraptured with just Waller-Bridge on stage delivering the monologue. Waller-Bridge believes that comedy and drama go hand-in-hand and that people are at their most vulnerable when they laugh, leaving them exposed to heartbreaking emotional depth.
“I try to disarm an audience as much as I can with comedy and then punch them in the gut with a drama when they least expect it,” she said in “Fleabag: The Scriptures,” a book featuring the show’s filming scripts as well as new writing concerning the show by Waller-Bridge.
In the WordPress interview, Waller-Bridge discussed what inspired her to start writing, expressing frustration with how few interesting female roles were available to her as a young actor.
“[The roles] were often damsels in distress or damsels disguised as ‘strong women’ because they argued with a man or had a singular controversial opinion. They rarely seemed complicated or true and were often there for someone to fall in love with. I got very bored and very angry and eventually started writing the crazy b****es I wanted to be playing,” she said.
Waller-Bridge’s writing has a strong, unique voice, with a distinctive knack for controlling an audience’s emotions and attention. Her offbeat pacing, comedic timing and eccentric use of audience interaction are a breath of fresh air in an oversaturated media landscape, making for an incredibly engaging and enjoyable experience.
While the play is not available to stream in the U.S., those interested can watch the show on Amazon Prime.
Ananya Kashyap is an Arts and Entertainment Intern for the fall 2024 quarter. She can be reached at ananyask@uci.edu.
Edited by June Min and Jaheem Conley.