EDINBURGH FRINGE: Annie Wobbler (Revisited) at the Ace Dome in Pleasance Dome*****

I could listen to Olivier Award winner Nichola McAuliffe all day. Her talent for speaking regional dialects is a wonder to behold, and so is her ability to inhabit women of all ages and backgrounds, as she demonstrates in this solo show.

Annie Wobbler was written for her by playwriting legend Arnold Wesker 45-years-ago when she was 25-years-old, so she would have morphed easily into the first of her characters, a northern lass with bleached blonde hair and thigh-length boots. But no. McAuliffe is every bit as convincing as a young graduate as she is as an old bag lady from London’s East End who is wandering the concourses of Waterloo Station.

The two characters are bookends to a best selling author with various personalities, and accents. But all the women have one thing in common: they are self deprecating, and this humorous yet moving production looks at Imposter Syndrome.

Unlike many shows, Annie Wobbler hasn’t had loads of publicity – I only heard of it from a reviewer who wrote that it was a masterclass in acting – and there were few people in the audience. Nevertheless, McAuliffe certainly didn’t short change us. Go see. She deserves full houses!

Annie Wobbler is at the Ace Dome in Pleasance Dome until Aug 31 (1 hr 20 mins)