Myra DuBois' A Problem Shared ★★★★

Throughout history, there are many women who famously helped others. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Princess Di and Denise from This Morning to name just three. Then, during lockdown, another joined their number. In those dark days, one woman was a shining beacon offering sage advice to the nation via social media broadcasts from Myra Towers (at an undisclosed South London location). And now, live and in person, the siren of south Yorkshire has travelled to the Edinburgh Fringe and is ready to share her passion for compassion in Myra DuBois’ A Problem Shared.

This show oozes with snappy wit and hilarious innuendo as comes to be expected from a television and stage star such as Myra, who (SPOILER ALERT) The Recs believes is on the list to be graciously and rightfully made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in Her Majesty The Queen’s upcoming New Year’s honours. This will be in recognition of the tireless work Ms DuBois does for Queen(s) and country, and nothing is testament of this more than returning yet again to the Edinburgh Fringe this year to be with her people and help the masses as those before her have helped in the past.

It is of course not necessary for someone of Ms DuBois’ status to even travel further than the M25, especially as we discover during this show that sadly she has had to do so by train, due to a disgraceful act by the Extinction rebellion group who recently vandalised the ‘MyraCopter’. Having most recently played at the small arts centre in Sydney Harbour, Australia, better known to some as the Sydney Opera House, it was clear that Myra was ‘doing her bit’ to perform in the more humble surroundings of a university anatomy lecture room on a 2-4-1 Tuesday, but then that’s just the woman she is.

As with most other Gay icons, Myra is gracious in welcoming those from the acronym community (despite it not being a lifestyle she agrees with) and goes as far as to make them feel most at home with a juke box musical style medley of songs on the subject of viruses, in homage to all of her numerous fans who sadly did not survive the recent pandemic. Songs such as Fever by Peggy Lee and Jolene (with the lyric changed to Vaccine) by Dolly Parton, to name a few. The audience were clearly overwhelmed by her vocal dexterity, and The Recs were in no doubt that they were left thinking what an honour it is to be in the same room as this incredibly selfless and unbelievably talented woman.

Myra performs miracles in this one-hour show, with countless problems of the common man solved as promised in the title. So whether it be a problematic friendship or particularly stubborn rash, you mustn’t miss the closest thing you’ll come to the female Jesus of the 21^st century.