Heartfelt comedy that embodies the spirit of the Fringe
Ana Falcon is the number one Mexican in Estonia (aside from maybe three others). She begins her engaging hour in entertaining fashion, and we’re in her thrall right from the start.
She begins with a quick intro about the Fringe, about how it’s a showcase for international artists, and in the spirit of this, she generously wants to introduce us to other artists too. Enter Sandra Tiitson, a comedian from Estonia who warmed us up with tales of her gamer boyfriend, her overly friendly cat, and descriptions of her pole dancing exploits (featuring a beanbag) which were hysterically funny. It speaks volumes of Ana’s character that she shares her stage in such a way, even for 5 minutes, when the Fringe can be such a battle for visibility.
Moving on to Ana’s show, we are treated to gorgeously descriptive tales of her childhood in Mexico, and how she came to live in Estonia. The preoccupation of being number 1 in anything is something she’s told is deeply American rather than European (except for Eurovision), and we learn of how this mindset is fostered in the young Ana by her mother. She could be in the top 5 of her class, and ideally first, but never second (aka the first of the losers). She weaves comedic tales of costume contests, gold star collection, beating her nemesis and the most surprising of pop culture fight songs. We follow her journey to Estonia and her adaptation to life there and her marriage (complete with soup, compliments, winter exploits and mid-summer panic). This is all delivered with charming humour combined with deft skill and precision.
What really gives the show its heart is Ana’s journey with herself and what it means to be her, no matter her environment. This is beautifully surmised in two anecdotes around AAA models and her mother-in-law, which I won’t spoil here, but are insightful, funny and perfectly in-keeping with the Ana presented to us.
This is a show in an unforgiving location, and in an unforgiving time-slot, but the energy and verve that Ana brings to her performance keeps up the energy levels in the room. This starts to flag a little in pace towards the end, probably due to some tiredness in the crowd, and the warm room, but the overall effect is highly polished and deeply enjoyable.
“Ana Falcon: #1 Mexican in Estonia” runs to 24 August, at 23:45 at Laughing Horse @ City Cafe. Tickets can be bought from: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/1-mexican-in-estonia