Will Cooper’s creation Jack Jerome, a motivational life coach, arrived on stage stretching and panting, but the energy in the room quickly made a run for it. With zero original jokes, the show felt like the conception of a stoned drama student, sitting in their pants watching Tom Cruise in ‘Magnolia’ for the fortieth time. Dreadful hissy fits when an audience member’s phone started to ring (fair enough) and when a spotlight started flickering (unnecessary) indicated that coping with the unexpected is too much for a character who extols the virtues of positivity. Jerome states “positivity is the same as negativity” so he won’t mind me saying that a hands-free headset and a flip chart do not a guru make.

Just The Tonic @ The Tron, 1-26 Aug (not 14), 2.20pm.
tw rating 1/5 | [L Clarkson]