Flirt review: Grace Mulvey’s hilarious tour through the life of a thirtysomething single woman

Flirt

The Circular

★★★☆☆

What do you do if you’re 33, single and really, really bad at flirting? You watch Chernobyl. According to Grace Mulvey it’s a very good miniseries. Although not the best opening gambit for a cheeky shift in a city-centre smoking area, this line does set the tone for Mulvey’s irreverent comedy set. Flirt takes the room through the ups and (mostly) downs of being a thirtysomething single woman.

This solid 60-minute set has something for everyone. Highlights include an unfortunately drawn caricature (a souvenir from a family holiday long past) and a laying bare of the frightening realities of bottomless brunches and all-women WhatsApp groups.

At times, however, Flirt feels like it’s veering into the Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus branch of observational comedy. Although it goes down a storm with the audience, I think Mulvey’s set has the potential for more depth. The strongest moments are the most self-reflective, and Mulvey successfully tackles big-ticket topics such as body image, dementia and women’s health deftly and, most importantly, hilariously. She doesn’t really need the filler.

It’s refreshing, though, to see Mulvey’s connection with the audience, who are happy to sign up to being (lovingly) heckled from the stage. Mulvey has a compelling presence and there’s a lot to like. Although forced in parts, this set is clearly experimenting and among the wide breadth of material are some real gems.