Theatre review: Finding Fassbender, Pleasance Courtyard

Following the death of a relative whose life was lived almost entirely within Wolverhampton, Eve (writer-performer Lydia Larson) accepts an enticing promotion down in London.

Finding Fassbender, Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) ***

The Big Smoke isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, however, and she’s on the verge of packing it in when she discovers that her squalid accommodation was once home to Hollywood A-lister Michael Fassbender. And she has found some mail she thinks he’d appreciate receiving.

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None of this happens until we are more than halfway through the play and have already followed Eve’s adventures in both Wolverhampton and London. This isn’t a criticism – the time spent developing Eve’s family and friends, and detailing the events leading up to her crisis of confidence, is well-spent, and both Eve and her supporting cast are fun to be around. All the same, the second act feels undercooked; the speed at which Eve’s quest becomes a farcical obsession is too fast. It’s not a fatal flaw, but it does squander some of her grounded and relatable goodwill.

• Until 27 August, 11:45am