Olivia Gibbs-FairleyHow can someone who worked on the Asda fish counter become a diva? Be Jayde Adams; a dynamic, feisty, wickedly-funny Bristolian comedian (and a former Asda worker). Returning to the Soho Theatre with her hit 2018 Edinburgh Fringe Festival show Jayde Adams: The Divine Miss Jayde, Adams explores all things Jayde in this raucous one hour show.
In The Divine Miss Jayde, Adams energetically covers an assortment of topics from body positivity to Beyoncé and she does it in a uniquely charmingly way. She’s like the comedy cousin of Adele, a diva for sure (with an average of one costume change every 20 minutes) but in a way that seems natural; it makes perfect sense for her to be wheeled onstage in a throne. Dotted throughout the show are moments when Adams is forced to restart songs or mixes up lines, but her warmth and likeability means that these are almost immediately forgotten – one can’t help but wonder if these are deliberate and part of the down-to-earth on stage persona Adams has crafted.
Despite not having lived there for almost ten years, it is clear that her home city of Bristol is still very close to Adams’s heart. The show is filled with quips about the West Country accent and there’s even a song about the earthquake which hit Bristol in February 2018 (4.4 on the Richter scale). While many of the specifics may be lost on non-Bristolians, the sentiments are universal and still entertain the audience.
Adams’ jokes are a hit with the audience but pale in comparison to her singing ability which is accompanied by two-time Olivier Award winner and composer of Jerry Springer: The Opera, Richard Thomas. Adams belts out various tunes covering topics from how to show emotion on stage (show your wrists apparently), things she wished she known when she was younger and her father’s retirement in an amusing and at times emotional way.
As well as Thomas, Adams is joined on stage by her real-life partner, Richard Wilson, affectionately referred to as “pudding” throughout the show. Clad in a thin, tight, pretty-much-transparent black morph suit and a pair of tap shoes, Wilson zips across the stage serving as Adams’ stage hand and mischievously grabbing the spotlight from Adams whenever possible.
Overall, The Divine Miss Jayde is a dazzling show and Adams is incredibly talented performer who definitely made the right decision to leave the counters of Asda.
Jayde Adams: The Divine Miss Jayde is playing Soho Theatre until 9 February 2019. For more information and tickets, see the Soho Theatre website.