Review: ‘The Retreat’ will make you moist in your men-ses

Birdy headed to one of her favourite venues, The Underbelly at Cowgate, to watch The Retreat – a fabulous variety comedy show themed around a corporate retreat for a company that makes period pants.

As everyone filed into the Underbelly’s Big Belly, there was an air of anticipation as we awaited the acts to appear. The period pants – Men-ses – were on display, with phrases such as ‘moist in my men-ses’, and I was really looking forward to what promised to be a good hour of comedy.

The Retreat is hosted by Rebekka Johnson (GLOW) and Anne Gregory (Parks and Rec) – and is produced by Kate Nash, so I had fairly high expectations. I wasn’t disappointed.

The format

It’s a variety comedy show, but it has a strong theme behind it, and hosts Johnson and Gregory get straight into it with their corporate retreat introduction to the Men-ses period pants line; they look absolutely awful, smell worse, and don’t even work! What fun.

In-between introducing the other acts, we’re treated to some musical numbers and reviews of Men-ses, all with the pair’s toxic positivity as we hear what terrible things their customers have endured having bought their pants.

The vibe

I really enjoyed Johnson and Gregory’s double act as hosts, it was slightly unhinged with over-the-top enthusiasm and lots of piss-taking of corporate speak, and for some reason really wanting to get each other’s flows going.

There wasn’t a dull moment, and I think I really lucked out with all of the acts in tonight’s show.

The show itself

The acts were amazing, and we were treated to Sophie Zucker – who spent most of her set talking about women’s rights to abortion, whilst also managing to be hilariously funny despite the fact her parents were in the audience – Troll, Linus Karp as Princess Diana herself, and the incredible Kate Nash!

Troll were quite an experience; I’d seen their posters with their long sausage-like noses around and so I was intrigued when they were announced, but didn’t know what to expect when they came out and started strongly sniffing the audience and climbing over chairs.

The only word they actually spoke was ‘MEN-SES!’ at the end, but the whole act worked quite well, and had a puzzled audience laughing at their very specific brand of physical comedy.

My stand-out favourite of the night was definitely Linus Karp as Princess Diana. I’d seen the posters, but I hadn’t been prepared for just how amazing Karp would actually be, and the act itself was hilarious, with the addition of a ragdoll Camilla Parker-Bowles (operated by an invisible man we weren’t supposed to take much notice of) who spoke like a deeper-voiced, demonic Mr Blobby. It was perfection.

I wasn’t sure if we were actually supposed to get Kate Nash tonight – apparently she’s only a ‘sometimes’ act – but I was really glad that we did. When the audience were chanting for ‘Eve’ she came out to explain that ‘Eve’ couldn’t make it, and she was going to perform a couple of numbers.

Kate (who as I mentioned above, produces the show) was a fabulous addition to the night, and I really enjoyed watching her perform, before being treated to a rendition of WAP by Kate and the other two hosts, which was brilliant fun.

Overall

The brilliant comedy acts featured in The Retreat, combined with its strong hosts and theme, made the show one of my favourites of Fringe 2023 so far, and I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone – if you’ve ever had a period, or not.

I’m just sad the Cowgate’s Underbelly venue no longer smells as much like dirty potatoes, but onwards and upwards! Still such nostalgia for this venue.