Hugh Davies, better known by his stage name Huge Davies, is a British musical comedian known for his deadpan delivery and for performing with a full-size Yamaha keyboard strapped to himself.
I came into close contact with this instrument myself during the first five minutes of the show, when it was swung at my head multiple times as Davies walked up and down the aisle shouting, “HEADS!”
Soon afterwards, he sang a song about not wanting old people at his shows because they always fall asleep — something he is unable to do himself. His crippling insomnia is, in fact, what the entire show centres around.
Davies is not the kind of comedian who seeks validation from his audience. Quite the opposite: for most of the show, he treats us with absolute contempt.
The musical comedy delves into his exes through the lens of Henry VIII and a curse placed on him by one of them, who happens to be a witch. The curse first turns him into a fly, forcing him to spend hours repeatedly hitting his head against a window. He is then cursed to not sleep for ten years, during which he listens to The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien every night — something we are reminded of repeatedly through its theme tune.
Davies plants plotlines and running jokes from the very beginning, weaving what initially appears to be a big old mess of random jokes into a neatly tied package — or, at least, another joke about one of the audience members’ careers in knitting.
It is rare to see someone as committed to the bit as Davies, but truly, do not come and see this show if you’re old or a knitter.
Huge Davies: Sleep Paralysis Princess, 21:30, CabVol 1 at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Cabaret Voltaire), August 5-30(not 12th or 19th)
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/huge-davies-sleep-paralysis-princess
