Qulture Magazine

Words and Photos: @lightninrosemedia

I had a chance meeting with Jennie (aka Myrtle) at the Greenside 20th Birthday Gala last week, we got chatting and she told me about her show and her Parkinsons diagnosis and how she first brought her funny, sharp tongued character Myrtle, to the Fringe back in 2015.

I just knew after speaking to Jennie, that I had to go see her show. Her warm welcoming demeanour, sense of humor and her take no prisoners attitude towards ‘Parky’ made me instantly wish she was my friend.

I am fresh out of Lime studio at Greenside Venue George Street, and I can hand on heart say that Jennie’s last sold out show of her run is most deserving of 5 stars if not more. The clever one liners, her interaction with the crowd and her forthright honesty about her illness put her at the top of my picks of the Fringe this year.

She somehow manages to make you feel comfortable laughing even when the subject might appear somewhat morose to some, and that’s a very hard thing to achieve with today’s Fringe crowd.

Myrtle is a special character, like an eccentric aunt that we all want to have in the family, the type that drinks one too many sherries at Christmas, and ends up flashing her knees at your husband…(or audience, as was the case today) or has had her dear old cat taxidermied and placed on the mantle after it’s passing…just the type of mad we all hope we are when we reach a certain age.

At one point Myrtle said she was going to bring her rabbit out of the bag and there was a sigh of relief from everyone when they realized it was in fact, a rabbit on a stick and not the slightly more risque version we were probably all anticipating! Especially after she demonstrated how to get a thrill from riding on the bus.

Myrtle brought on her special guest later in the show- writer, presenter and self proclaimed maths magician, Kjartan Poskitt. Of course Myrtle didn’t reign her wit in for this segment and had him, and the audience in stitches. They discussed his series of children’s books and showcased his math genius with a member of the crowd and their calculator, it was rather impressive to say the least.

I would highly recommend anyone to go see the show if I could, but sadly this was Jennie’s last Fringe show before she goes off to enjoy retirement and a good old rest, but we never say never!