JADAR

★★★★☆

Fixing is a solo show created by Matt Miller and Peader Kirk that at first seems to be about car maintenance – but is it really only about cars?

The show opens as a practical “lesson” led by Matt’s drag alter ego, Natalie Spanner, guiding the audience through the basics of looking after a vehicle. However, as Fixing unfolds, it quickly becomes something deeper: a thoughtful and emotional reflection on whether we actually know how to fix people. The piece blends stand-up, personal storytelling, and quiet reflection on what it means to hold things together. While it may be clear how to maintain a car, it is far less clear how to maintain yourself.

What Fixing ultimately offers is a series of ideas that feel almost too obvious, and therefore easy to overlook in everyday life. One of its central thoughts is immediately recognisable: people who spend their lives helping others are rarely seen as needing help themselves. The show returns to this idea through personal memories, most notably the figure of a father who continues to work and function while going through a breakup. At one point, Matt asks, “Have you ever seen a person who smiles, but behind that smile there is grief?” As the performance shifts between the upbeat Natalie and a more reflective Matt, it creates a clear emotional contrast. Because the story feels sincere, the audience is on an emotional rollercoaster from laughter to something close to tears.

From here, Fixing becomes more introspective. Talking itself starts to feel like a method of repair. The performance comes across as an attempt to process and make sense of things that are difficult to understand. There is a clear tension between tone and content: much of the material is delivered through sharp, sometimes harsh humour, but the jokes do not fully hide the emotion underneath. The show sits somewhere between stand-up and a more open and personal monologue.

A key idea running through the piece is simple but effective: we can fix machines, systems, and engines, things that follow clear rules, but we struggle to take care of ourselves. The show suggests that understanding reduces fear. Whether it is about cars or emotions, knowledge gives a sense of control. “Knowledge is power” is a silver lining of the show. Life is presented as a road – mostly steady in direction but often interrupted. When an emergency stop happens, Matt suggests that the only option is to accept it and keep moving forward.

There is no dramatic resolution, just continuation, but now with a better understanding of what has happened.
Fixing does not fully answer the question it raises. Whether talking, performing, or reflecting can truly fix anything. But it shows that the attempt itself matters. It draws attention to things we often miss: the quiet strength of others, the limits of what we can control, and the importance of stopping, even briefly, to reflect.

Fixing tours the UK until April 17.

Photo: (c) Von Fox Promotions