one4review | On 04, Aug 2024

Harriet Dyer is a delightful comedian with a mind that bounces around like a pin ball, and the elements of the show where she reins it in enough to stay on track are till entertaining, but missing a little of her spark. The show has a rough trajectory and a story she wants to tell, but there’s sufficient room for Harriet to deviate into telling us other things that spring to mind. Ms Dyer knows how her own mind works, is working with it rather than against it, and happily, that works for her comedy too.

Ms Dyer has an infectiously positive energy, and she connects with the audience swiftly and spreads that energy to them. While the energy dipped a bit through the main body of the show, the laughter which had been profuse and vocal diffusing into genial amusement, the pace and the interest were sustained. A whole host of characters flit through Ms Dyer’s stories, and they’re drawn with warmth and verve, their comic juxtapositions and absurdities laid out alongside her own. Ms Dyer brings her whole self to the stage – the embarrassing and weird bits as well as the caring and funny ones – and it’s this honesty and energy which keeps us engaged and delighted to the end.

Reviewed by Laura

Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose
15:40
Until 26th (not 12th)