one4review | On 20, Aug 2022

This seven-thirty-pm set would possibly benefit from either a later time slot or a drunker audience. Ms Harris presents a caricature of a club comedian delivering an often crude and repetitive spiel to the front row, leaning in to roasting the same few people before apologising profusely and justifying it with ‘you’re just there!’. Something like this might be found – and do well – at the bear-pit that is Late’n’Live, or the more rowdy comedy clubs. Credit to Ms Harris for having confidence in her performance and – crucially – not dying on stage. Some of the faces I saw might have preferred that.

Ms Harris is her own FoH, encouraging unsuspecting audients to sit in the front row. Once that’s done and she’s been introduced to the stage properly, she checks if we’ve read the flyer – most of us haven’t (and I have read it again subsequently and still doesn’t seem sufficiently preparatory) – warns us that being prudish will be problematic, and then launches into her set. Some of this is loosely pre-prepared, the frequency of this increasing towards the end of the show, and a lot of it is being weird towards the front row. I can’t overemphasise how much the front row got.

This sort of comedy – weird and uncomfortable and audience-roasting – will appeal to some, and even thrive in some spaces, but there weren’t enough of those people in this audience. Ms Harris is by no means a poor performer, but this particular performance didn’t land.

Reveiwed by Laura

Laughing Horse @ The Hanover Tap
19:30 (until 28th)