I am married to a nice Jewish man so a lot of this show was familiar territory, particularly the bit about having a foot in two worlds. In my case our blended families have focused more on culture than religion so we have made the most of both camps celebrating Christmas as well as Hanukkah, Easter as well as Passover, and more besides.
Rachel Creeger gets straight to the point and ‘comes out’ with an honest, no-nonsense appraisal of her status as a Jew, what she’s wearing on her head and not working on Shabbat (Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath). Brought up in a traditional Jewish community from a family of immigrants and refugees who felt totally British regardless of accents and lifestyle, Rachel has lived in Essex, Israel and Belarus and clocked up several careers as a dental nurse, social worker and a pop star.
This is all part of her schtick and Rachel is a confident and charismatic performer who presents a very personal narrative in a confined space with very little technical support. The show emerges as well-rounded and her ability to engage Fringe audiences in some gentle participation works well. It’s easy to see why this show was recently awarded Best Comedy at the Greater Manchester Fringe against some tough competition.
This debut show deserves a better platform for the sheer chutzpah – there’s a lot more fun to be extracted out of Rachel’s experiences about her time performing in a Jewish girl band and with a bit of time, space and additional production values this would make this an immensely powerful touring show.
★★★★
Rachel Creeger: It’s No Job for a Nice Jewish Girl is at Black Market at 13:40 until 25th August. For tickets and more information click here!
