Rosalie Minnitt’s ‘Clementine’ plays on the very real period drama hype created by the likes of ‘Bridgerton’ and ‘Downton Abbey’. But this story is slightly different. Offering a modern approach to a Regency tale of a woman looking for love, Minnitt’s quick-fired jokes are fit for a Gen-Z audience and rarely miss the mark.
The story follows 26-year-old Lady Clementine, who has until her 27th birthday to find a suitor or else she will be sent away to an asylum. The catch is, of course, that her birthday is tomorrow. Conveniently, the event of the season – the Bellby Ball – lands on the evening before her birthday.
Minnitt maintains an impressive level of energy throughout the hour, delivering gag after gag. But Clementine is in control of the story – hilariously directing the winding tale to ensure we are never lost and leading audience participation in a way that really does work (for example when crowd members are given battery-powered candles and other props to set the scene).
The stage is armed with a projector broadcasting images of Edwardian-era women and shorts from period drama films while viral TikTok sounds play over the top (the memeified ‘I am 27 years old’ line from the 2005 ‘Pride and Prejudice’ sets the mood early on). Jo March’s renowned monologue from Greta Gerwig’s ‘Little Women’ is heard later.
As a whole, Clementine’s commentary on the patriarchal expectation that women must find a husband offers an alternative to the classic storyline: self-love. Hilarious, engaging, and a little bit heartwarming, Rosalie Minnitt received a standing ovation at her second-to-last show – an ending which she thoroughly deserved.