From the moment Grace Fogarty greets you at the door as her character Suze—crisps in one hand, shots in the other—you know you're in for more than just a play. Perfect is an irresistibly chaotic, immersive house party of a show, where audience members are welcomed into Suze’s messy, lovable, and occasionally disastrous life. By the time you're inside, you’ve been roped into Polaroids (which are pinned up on the set each night), chatted to like an old friend, and made complicit in her journey of heartbreak, people-pleasing, and self-discovery.
Written and performed by Fogarty, Perfect follows Suze—a 20-something trying to find her feet in London—as she navigates house shares, promotions, pub quizzes, and the perils of keeping things "casual" with a love interest. The show’s comic timing is impeccable, with stand-out moments like the “let’s just keep it casual” breakup line punctuated by the Casualty theme tune and Suze’s guttural scream: “What does casual mean?!”
What elevates the piece beyond a straight monologue is Molly Vandermeer’s sharp, pacey direction. Vandermeer ensures that the action never sags, deftly balancing moments of improvised audience interaction with tightly choreographed set pieces. The staging feels fluid and lived-in, and every prop, lighting shift (designed with flair by Chiara Fulgoni), and audience cue lands with precision. Vandermeer’s hand is felt in the rhythm of the show—she keeps Suze’s whirlwind life both believable and brilliantly heightened.
With a sold-out opening and final night, Perfect proves itself a crowd-pleaser. It’s comedy with bite—the kind of show you leave grinning, replaying one-liners on the way home, and maybe with a small sense of relief that your own 20s weren’t quite that unhinged.
Review: Bibi Lucille