5 stars

*****

This show was an absolute delight!  I could leave the review right there, but I realise that I need to say more.  Rhea is best known to UK audiences as Aunt Hilda from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, a programme which, I’ll admit, was a staple part of my University viewing.  Therefore, I was curious to see how she would perform as a stand-up.

What a revelation!  This was truly a master class in comedy by someone who has spent years honing her craft.  But not witchcraft.  As she admitted, she’s not actually a witch and she can’t perform magic.  However, she certainly cast a spell on this particular audience (how many of these references can I shoehorn in?).  Her approach to material is scattergun, riffing with the crowd and flitting through material which took in her time on Sabrina, the mothering of her 21 month old daughter and some wickedly funny observations on relationships.  She also catered to the home crowd with some excellent references to experiences she’s had since being in Scotland.

Her delivery was relentless and the lovely thing was that she seemed to be having as much fun as the audience.  She was willing to go on for longer but unfortunately had to wrap up as the next show needed to get started.  I’ve no doubt that she could have held us all enthralled for another hour if the scheduling had allowed.

Reviewed by Di

Venue – Gilded Balloon Teviot, Debating Hall

21.30-22.30