Harriet’s definitely a quirky comic. I don’t think she’ll mind being called quirky; I hope not- because it really is the only word which fits.
She doesn’t have me for about the first 15 to 20 minutes of her set. Her marionette like mannerisms and frequent side-tracking overwhelm the jokes and I can’t quite get to grips with her style.
However, once we make a bit of headway through the performance I find myself really invested in what she has to say.
A key part of who Harriet is as a comic is the fact that she was brought up in Cornwall. It’s clear from her accent alone but beyond just that surface-level representation is the layered picture she paints with her material.
She’s properly rural and has the scars to prove it. In her show, she takes us through the people she grew up with- each more mental than the last, with accompanying pseudonyms like ‘Mister Squid’ and ‘Kim Jong Un’. No, I won’t explain what they mean- go watch the show if you’re curious.
What this does have and more so than any other show I’ve seen, is that by the time we leave it feels like I’ve spent an hour with a friend from home. Harriet absolutely has something special about her, but for me the overall package needs a bit more fine tuning.
Harriet Dyer: Skin, Gilded Ballon Patter House, 15:40, until August 26.
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/harriet-dyer-skin
