Pernille escaped to Norway during the COVID-19 pandemic and has returned to share stories of her homeland’s culture, weather, politics, history, and running-obsessed short-necked men in this stand-up comedy show.
As you enter a very cosy venue underneath a café, everyone certainly gets to know each other, something Pernille makes sure of. Pernille goes around the room getting an idea of her demographic, whether it be age, nationality, single, dating, and manages to spin jokes off of these traits. After asking “are there any Scottish people in the room?”, I let out a “whoo”, slightly embarrassing as I seem to be the only Scot, Pernille catches my name and in a friendly Norwegian manner remembers for the rest of the night coming back to me for any jokes relatable to Scotland.
I was not the only one in this situation; however, I was more fortunate, as a sworn enemy of Norway was in the room, the Danes. Pernille had a great time targeting jokes at audience members, all of which were funny and light-hearted.
Pernille jokes about her love life or lack thereof, in which she finds peace as she edges towards her forties. Joining her along the ride in this period of her life is her royalist corgi Harry, her super successful lawyer sister, who has a spare couch, and her stone-cold parents, about whom she is definitely not holding a grudge due to an abandoned cabin in the woods, which is described slightly like the setting from a horror film.
Pernille Haaland is funny as she mutters her way through socially awkward Norwegian life, a couple of “urms” and “uhhs” throughout the stand-up didn’t take away from her hilarity. Get close and clammy in this little venue and enjoy the comedy.
Pernille Haaland: Running with the Wolves 20:40, Laughing Horse @ City Café, until August 17
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/pernille-haaland-running-with-the-wolves
