Elf Lyons’ New York show sets limited SoHo Playhouse run
British comedian Elf Lyons will play SoHo Playhouse from Sept. 24 to Oct. 18, with tickets on sale July 30.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
2 min read
Elf Lyons’ New York show “The Woman on the Edge” is headed to SoHo Playhouse for a short fall engagement, Variety reported. The run, scheduled for Sept. 24 through Oct. 18, will be the British stand-up comedian and writer’s first U.S. performance engagement.
The solo show is being presented by WestBeth Entertainment and Mick Perrin Worldwide, according to Variety. Tickets are due to go on sale Thursday, July 30, at 10 a.m. ET through OvationTix.
When is Elf Lyons’ New York show?
“The Woman on the Edge” is booked at SoHo Playhouse from Sept. 24 to Oct. 18. A limited run means the show is scheduled for a fixed window rather than an open-ended residency, so the listed dates are the announced opportunity to see it in New York.
Variety reported that the show draws from the end of Lyons’ own engagement. In the setup described by the production, Lyons cannot perform the piece herself, so one of her characters has to step in and deliver it for her.
The production’s logline describes the show as an autobiographical comedy about love, filtered through Lyons’ theatrical approach and comic timing. The same description says the work moves through absurdity, emotion and unpredictability.
What is “The Woman on the Edge” about?
The show blends stand-up, character work, clowning, opera, live art and theatre, according to the production description cited by Variety. It also includes audio recordings, bouncy castles and verbatim theatre, with the piece built around a mind that keeps shifting direction.
The show’s reference points are an unusual trio: Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo,” the Apollo 13 mission and the opera “Pagliacci,” according to the same description. That mix places the piece somewhere between comedy show, theatrical experiment and personal breakdown play, based on the materials released for the production.
Lyons has built a reputation for comedy that does not sit politely in one lane. Variety described her as a performance artist who has directed six shows at the Edinburgh Fringe festival.
Her earlier projects, according to Variety, include a classical ballet restaged with found objects, a musical about the economy, a mime piece about a bank robbery and a comedy-horror show inspired by Stephen King’s novels.
The New York booking gives Lyons a U.S. launch for a show with a very packed suitcase: heartbreak, clowning, opera, Hitchcock, outer space and a character forced to take the stage when the person who made the whole thing supposedly cannot.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.