Emma McAlpine is bowled over by Miles Jupp's tragicomic cricket tale.
The Gilded Balloon Ballroom is jam-packed for Miles Jupp’s preview of Fibber in the Heat. “Does anyone here actually like cricket?”, asks Jupp, whose face lights up like a Christmas tree when 3/4 of the crowd raise their hands. Yes, the show is about cricket but you don’t have to be a fan or be in any way knowledgeable about the sport to enjoy it (trust me). An enthralling story about following your dreams, meeting your heroes and struggling to fit in, it’s hard to imagine whom this wouldn’t appeal to.
After watching England’s nail-biting 2005 Ashes win, Jupp decides there is a job out there that will enable him to watch even more cricket than he already does as an actor and comedian – he can be a cricket journalist. Pulling some strings with flimsy press contacts at BBC Radio Scotland and Cardiff tabloid The Western Mail, he manages to fib his way into joining England on their 2006 India tour, in a professional journalistic capacity.
Once out there, he encounters a few problems. He can’t get hold of his contact at BBC Radio Scotland, there doesn’t seem to be a press pass for him and he has strict instructions from the Western Mail to report only on Welsh cricketer Simon Jones. Easier said then done when he’s sent home with a twisted ankle before the first Test. Praying he won’t get recognised as Archie the Inventor from children’s TV series Balamory, Jupp tries to blend in with the press pack and make friends; only – some aren’t all that friendly.
Expertly delivered, with measured pace and impeccable timing, this is storytelling of the highest degree. The script is beautifully crafted, with every word carefully chosen for full comedic impact (his description of an officious security guard as “an Indian Obelix in a blazer” was a personal favourite). As he lurches from one sticky situation to another, you find yourself completely absorbed in his adventure, waiting to hear how it will all end. A likeable, self-deprecating speaker; it helps that he is someone you can empathise with; someone who gets tongue-tied meeting his heroes and feels socially inept when out of his comfort zone.
Jupp has triumphed here in turning a subject as specific as cricket into a comedy show with mass-appeal. As someone who finds cricket a tad boring (sorry Miles), I found this story utterly compelling. You might even find some relief in it, as it turns out – some dreams are better left in your head.
Miles Jupp: Fibber in the Heat (a cricket tale) will be at the Gilded Balloon from 7-29th August at 8pm
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