“Be Good!” with Paulette review: A social etiquette class you’ll want to repeat
Edinburgh Fringe
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Edinburgh Fringe 〰️
Image: Jennifer Forward-Hayter
by Zoe Paskett
Daniel Maseda spends the first few minutes of “Be Good!” with Paulette describing the doors. The various aspects of its frame and hinges, the emergency exit sign, the pillar next to it… He sports a neutral cardigan and a fresh black eye, his hair is as slicked down as physics would allow, and as he turns around to what he hopes to be an empty room, he is met with his worst nightmare: a room full of people.
It’s frustrating that the funniest things are usually the most indescribable. You can’t adequately describe why the way a person uses their spiky fingers is funny, or why a particular cadence of their intonation is funny, or why the way he describes a set of double doors is funny. If there was ever a “you just have to see it” show, this is it. And I want to see it again.
Paulette is a gentle and polite man. He has clearly mastered the physical realm (it was a very thorough description of the doors), but the social realm is more of a tricky beast, filled with grey areas and traps that can catch anyone out if they are unprepared. Luckily, Paulette has devised a code of etiquette for handling every social situation you might come up against.
He traverses the room, determined to speak to as many people as possible to put his tricks into practice and find a point of connection, but I would urge anyone uneasy about being interacted with to not let this put you off – I promise you, he is as worried about it as you are. It’s a “no wrong answers” scenario, as his people-pleasing tendencies make Paulette desperate to find common ground and agree with you (even if it actually is the wrong answer).
His improv skills make this such a thrill of a journey as he works every interaction into gold, but it’s his ability to write a unique turn of phrase that so sharply pierces the heart of what we all feel that makes this special. As his coping mechanisms go awry, his tendency to catastrophise starts to poke through. While the degree to which you identify with the intensity of Paulette’s deep social anxiety will vary, he amplifies the potential discomfort of social situations we are all very familiar with to a ridiculous height, sure, but always within reach of understanding.
I first saw Daniel Maseda do a slot at Piñata comedy night back in April. I was completely entranced by Paulette. I couldn’t imagine what a full hour of this character would be, but I knew I wanted to find out – I’m so glad I did because this has been one of my favourite hours spent at the Fringe so far.
For a show about social awkwardness, he sure knows how to work a room.
"Be Good!" with Paulette is at Underbelly Bristo Square, Dexter, 22:15 (not 18th). Tickets here
