Confessions of a Red Headed Coffeeshop Girl, follows the story of Joanie Little a flame-haired college graduate who finds herself stuck in a dead-end job as a barista. Part comedy, part monologue and with a few spirited songs thrown in for good measure. Joanie is the lovable and slightly eccentric girl next door, who keeps herself entertained by likening her customers to animals and spending a little too much time talking to a portrait of Jane Goodall. Joanie grins and bears her humdrum life, until one day the unexpected arrival of Marco, the mysterious coffee drinker who leaves his business card behind, makes quite the impact on Joanie’s run of the mill life.
As Joanie, Rebecca Perry is an accomplished performer who morphs back and forth impersonating a wide range of customers with great ease. The redheaded protagonist has great comic timing, is a klutz and reminds you of a Canadian version of Jess from the American sitcom New Girl. The coffee shop related observational humour is far from groundbreaking, however, the whole production is crafted in a very slick manner, with characters that are established earlier on rearing their heads again at opportune moments. A personal favourite is Sue, the jogger who, like a deranged roadrunner, can never stop jogging, not for even a moment to make her coffee order.
Alongside the comedic moments in Confessions of a Red Headed Coffeeshop Girl, there are also a series of songs written by Perry herself. Ranging in style from jazzy renditions through to the last number which has beautifully melodic folk like undertones.
Confessions of a Red Headed Coffeeshop Girl is very slick and delivered seamlessly, not surprising considering the flyer states that it has been performed to critical acclaim in 14 cities. At the end of the play, Perry reveals that at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival she will be performing the sequel. In Joanie, Perry has created a charming character and no doubt folk will be curious to find out what unfolds on her next adventure.
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