Josie Long greets everyone warmly before the show, handing out her own home-made magazines, and the comedy flows neatly from one segment to another. She spins her own take on the life of the painter Hieronymus Bosch (c 1450-1516), and the frustrations of camping with the astronomer Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) - and why she collects the stickers from apples. She laments that she always seems to miss the shooting stars and still can't work out where (the star constellation) The Plough is. Somehow she also manages to fit in the (Oxford University) Pitt Rivers Museum, the teachings of the philosopher John Locke (1632-1704), and the wonders of local news broadcasting. On one such local program she says that she saw what for her was the best museum: an old man's back garden, visited by no-one, and full of bizarre yet incredibly detailed exhibits - many made from plastic toys and Barbie dolls - and all displayed in giant glass fish tanks.

She recalls how, as a youngster, she sent an unsolicited cartoon to the Royal Society For The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), only for it to be returned; and her obsession with collecting frogs - she uses these at end to bring it to a neat conclusion. She ad libs as well as she crafts a fine show, which enhances its intimate feel. She invites people to continue the quest for the planet's wonders by sending her their own find worthy of a museum - but only if catalogued in great detail.

The show never feels disjointed, despite the variety of topics covered. It celebrates a child-like, frivolous and uplifting approach to life. Josie Long's easy-going manner makes her a great storyteller, but there are still plenty of well-crafted jokes and laugh-out-loud moments, making it more than a whimsical hour of fun.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Performer - Josie Long.

Company Credits: Writer / Director / Producer - Josie Long. Technical Operator - uncredited.

END

(c) Helen Johnson 2008

reviewed Saturday 2nd August 08 / Pleasance 2, Edinburgh

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com