Fringe review: Kirsty Mann – Skeletons
Kirsty Mann: Skeletons sees an anaesthetist slash comedian try to navigate a secretive double life between blood, farts, death, and comedy. ★★★
At the opening of Skeletons, UK comedian Kirsty Mann asks the front row of her cramped full house to make a safe space with her so that everyone can be vulnerable. She does this by asking them what their name and profession is, and then quipping about that person’s true nature based on ‘what they do’.
This exercise — other than framing the hour’s central question — reveals one vital titbit: there are an awful lot of doctors in the audience.
Now that she has formed her safe space, Mann drops an intriguing premise; she has been living a double life as a comedian and an anaesthetist for over a decade. She hasn’t told either group about her other pursuits, and over the course of the hour Mann retells how it all came crashing down.
Skeletons is one of many examples of a ‘confessional’ genre of Fringe theatre that has been in vogue for some time. Preferred by producers for its cost-effectiveness, and by audiences for its lived-in insights, these shows can struggle if the balance between truth and artistic license is skewed too far in either direction. In this case, Mann is a capable and charming performer, the real stories are undoubtedly compelling, but in the room, the theatrical experience and comedic execution feel underdeveloped — relying on a few too many Disney film references for this reviewer’s taste.
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However, Mann’s crowning moment in this piece is a vital contemplation of the real horrors of the COVID pandemic by an individual who was at the coalface, and who has the artistic gusto to stand on a stage and tell us about it. It reminds us that we haven’t allowed ourselves to fully come to terms with a global trauma and are too ready to try and forget. The heart-wrenching details that Mann recalls to us are captivating and tragic, with one experience with an older patient leading her to remark: “hospital always puts your life in perspective”.
Kirsty Mann: Skeletons is an otherwise cheery romp through the perils of leading a double life, that reminds us that we all have parts of ourselves that we conceal. If you work in the medical profession, or know someone who does, you might find yourself reflected in the operating table.
Kirsty Mann: Skeletons continues at the Gallery and the Yurt in the Courtyard of Curiosities until March 23.
Read more 2025 Adelaide Fringe coverage here on InReview