WYLD WOMAN: THE LEGEND OF SHY GIRL - Southwark Playhouse (04/11/25)

Wyld by name, wyld by nature, Isabel Renner is an effervescent treat

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We all know that traversing adult life can be an absolute minefield of potential stress-inducing triggers, with many of us making it up as we go along, be it workplace politics, trying to make friends, or tackling modern dating. Enter: social anxiety, the enemy of many a millennial and Gen Z just trying to make it from day to day in the world, though perhaps few to quite the same degree as Isabel Renner, who takes us on quite the journey, as she demonstrates what it’s like traversing life in the big city whilst simultaneously chugging her own unique cocktail of awkwardness, anxiety and sexual frustration.

Isabel Renner (credit: Charlie Lyne)

Even as we enter the auditorium, the party has already begun, as the overwhelming excess of pink everything, from the fridge and the rugs to the balloons and other decorations adorning the space, setting us up for an unwaveringly colourful 70 minutes of shameless self-deprecation. And with a narrative like that there is always the danger that it could become tiresome after a while, but such is Renner’s innate awkward charm and versatility that it’s easy to remain fully with her throughout.

Renner doesn’t do things in half measures, as she hilariously exaggerates the trials and tribulations of the inherent introvert, and we cycle through the various characters with whom she invariably comes into contact, from her promiscuous diva of a roommate and emotionally challenged love interest, to her amusingly robotic sounding German OB/GYN, and her outrageously nonchalant life coach with zero filter when it comes to her own gynaecological relationship. Renner’s character work is marvellously caricaturish, yet we are fully transfixed, and she perfectly injects her own unique brand of comedy into her performance.

Isabel Renner (credit: Charlie Lyne)

We as an audience all share in her social struggles, and all the cringe and discomfort that comes with it, which is the biggest compliment one can bestow, as this was balanced masterfully with a good amount of humour. Whether you’re a 20-something finding their feet or someone with a deal more experience in traversing this chaotic life, there is bound to be something for you in this brilliantly and belligerently barmy, sex-fuelled solo piece.

★★★★☆ (4*)

“Wyld Woman” runs at Southwark Playhouse until the 20th of November

{PR/Gifted tickets}