Review: Jill's Tupperware Party by Asparagus Mousse (Edinburgh Fringe)
- Immersive Rumours
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
We worship at the altar of the microwave in this hilarious interactive comedy-horror from Asparagus Mousse.
Photo: Rah Petheridge
Interactive comedy-horror Jill's Tupperware Party, which runs at Underbelly Cowgate until 30th August, was one of our most highly anticipated shows heading into Edinburgh Fringe this year, in large part due to the pedigree of the show's creative team. Coral Bevan, Ricky Hunt and David Alwyn - working here as Asparagus Mousse Productions - all have extensive experience in interactive and immersive theatre, and have worked on shows for the likes of Secret Cinema and The Lost Estate for the better part of a decade.
Their latest production, which combines audience interaction, razor-sharp comedy and camp horror elements, draws on the trio's wealth of experience in immersive productions to deliver an hour of entertainment that's wildly original, hilarious and hugely engaging.
The show's premise sees audiences gather for the 80th annual Tupperware convention, which is overseen by Jill (Coral Bevan) and Jill (Ricky Hunt). Alongside demonstrations of the latest in Tupperware innovation and communal icebreakers, the centrepiece of the convention is the crowning of 'King Tup', an honour bestowed upon the Jill who has sold the most Tupperware in the previous twelve months.
Is it a cult? Probably. But it's one where your leftovers stay fresh for days after...
Photo: Rah Petheridge
Before audience members even make it inside Underbelly's Belly Laugh, the show's interactive elements begin, as the two Jills walk through the queue, hand out goodie bags and take the time to chat with their fellow Jills (everyone, including the audience, is referred to as Jill throughout). Leaning into these moments of one-on-one interaction will yield the strongest results for guests, as Bevan and Hunt's comedic sensibilities and ability to improvise with audience members are spot-on.
We immediately found ourselves on the back foot trying to justify to Bevan's Jill why our Tupperware sales figures were down over the previous year, before the conversation quickly turned to arranging a play date for our respective fictional children. As you'd expect from performers who've interacted with thousands of guests across countless shows, their ability to draw people in and open up those conversations to those around them is faultless, and is done with such ease that you don't even realise it's happened in the moment.
Photo: Rah Petheridge
Once inside the convention, proceedings begin with an attendance register that requires a single audience member to respond when their name (Jill, of course) is called, an extended demonstration of the latest in vacuum-sealing technology (which requires a sacrifice from an unsuspecting Jill), and a sermon-like living eulogy for the original Jill.
Thanks to Bevan and Hunt's pitch-perfect delivery, these scenes elicit strong reactions from the audience and build out the show's world, but it isn't until the reveal of the past year's sale figures that things ramp up considerably, thanks to an unexpected winner who is plucked from the audience and becomes the show's third main character.
This shift in the conventions long-established pecking order makes way for the show's final act, which sees the celebrations descend into B-movie horror, with blood, guts and gore aplenty. While it's an ambitious idea for an interactive piece operating in a makeshift Fringe venue, the show rises to the occasion and delivers some genuinely gruesome (if slightly schlocky) moments, which, of course, the audience are pulled right into.
Hilarious, highly interactive, and wildly original, Jill's Tupperware Party is everything you'd want from a Fringe show. Those keen to embrace their inner Jill should move quickly, as it's sure to become a word-of-mouth hit amongst those at the festival looking for something weird and wonderful to sink their teeth into.
★★★★★
Jill's Tupperware Party runs until 30th August (excluding 17th and 24th) at Belly Laugh at Underbelly, Cowgate (Venue 61) as part of the Edinburgh Fringe. For more information and to book tickets, visit edfringe.com
See all of our Edinburgh Fringe coverage here.
