Review: ALGORITHMS at Park Theatre

Benefitting from a relatively simple staging with a few props and a costume change, Brooke traverses the emotional shambles of a break-up whilst simultaneously trying to hold down her job as a dating app code writer. The irony (and awkwardness) is palpable — except perhaps to her nauseating American boss. Meanwhile her mother continues to drop those subtle little hints about weight loss and how to make oneself appealing to a red chinos wearing property developer, which any girl would relish. Juggling the expectations of others whilst trying to find a replacement for Almira and a suitable dress for her milestone 30th birthday would be enough to induce a breakdown in anybody, and Brooke looks pretty close to needing a hug (but definitely not from the aforementioned red chinos wearing property developer)!

Ms Clark’s performance benefits from a pace and rhythm borne of performing one’s own material. The observational humour is both genuinely funny and peppered with the sort of references and observations which a stand-up comedian knows to include when conveying a story. The end result is a delight.