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At tonight\u2019s grand finale of Prima Facie<\/em> at Cardiff\u2019s New Theatre, people crowd into the auditorium, seemingly hunched under the weight of great expectation. After all, this one-woman show features none other than breakout star Jodie Comer, in the role of hotshot lawyer Tessa Ensler. Having gained a solid reputation playing Villanelle in the hit TV series Killing Eve<\/em>, as well as starring in Hollywood roles including the recent 28 Years Later<\/em>, it\u2019s no surprise theatregoers are enthusiastic.<\/p>\n As if to underline the event\u2019s importance, even the usher is marking her authority, declaring anyone caught leaving during the performance, for any reason, barred from re-entry.\u00a0Still,with a run-time of one hour and 40 minutes without intermission, tonight\u2019s performance is terse, intense and at times thrilling, albeit in an understated way.<\/p>\n Written by Suzie Miller and directed by Justin Martin, Prima Facie<\/em>\u2019s energy is largely predicated on Comer\u2019s performance rather than on any pyrotechnics or onstage wizardry. Out of the gate, her one-woman monologue charges, with little letup, from start to finish, forcing the audience to keep up lest they miss anything. Comer\u2019s myriad accents and impersonations, as Ensler relays the excitement of starting out her career as a defence lawyer from her early days of law school, to rehearsing her courtroom finesse and rizzing the jury, are all-absorbing and exacting.<\/p>\n \n