Revu That’s Ace

“That’s Ace” Poster

Charming, feisty, heartwarming: That’s Ace

Starting off memorably, That’s Ace sits the audience in a godforsaken school sex ed class. Ace sits alone on stage, without a partner and seemingly quite small. Awkwardly, they are instructed to put a condom on a dildo by a disinterested teacher. They then proceed to try and ask further questions on sex, sexuality and relationships in general, but are dismissed. Then there is a slight time jump and Ace is at their first night club, awaiting Sasha, their friend…or maybe something more…? Even Ace does not know.

Tiffany Marina Pearmund is excellent as Ace, equal parts loveable and feisty, who explains it is not that they are mean, it is just that they have little time for people. Paired with strong writing and strong direction from Jonny Brace, who is funny without feeling forced and sweet without feeling saccharine, the strengths of this production are on full display. It is glorious.

Aside from the teacher at the beginning, Tiffany performs this production entirely on their own and unlike most one person shows, they do not impersonate other characters, instead simply reacting to what they are saying and following on from their conversations. For a lesser production, this would make the script fall apart and become incomprehensible but again, the writing and the acting pull this off with ease. A highlight being when Ace asks in abject horror after being embarrassed, “What the fuck was that?!” which was as endearing as it was reprimanding.

The fact That’s Ace wears its asexuality on its sleeve will be equal parts an immediate draw to some but to others something that keeps them away, but the production’s quality speaks for itself. It is a story that knows a fundamental truth: you need to care. And after only a couple minutes, Ace is easily someone to care about. This is fundamentally a quality piece of work. This is fantastic representation. This is indeed ace!

Tickets can be found here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/that-s-ace

4/5 Stars

By Ethan H.M.M