Sofie Hagen has a reputation she’s fully aware of. Looking everyone square in the eye one by one in quick succession to combat “autism allegations”, the tone is set and she’s in her stride from the start. She’s ready to poke her woke, her right-on credentials are up for examination. She has been the left’s darling, and then not, bending over backwards and forwards to accommodate any and all triggers until it’s left her exhausted and cancelled. This show is in praise of nuance. And she exhales it freely like the sigh that has been building for simply ages.
Hagen’s 16 veteran years of writing and performing rise like the cream, navigating the tricky business of how to discuss navigating from ardent political beliefs into something else. To do this she pokes fun at herself, stepping into her ‘mea culpa’ with a clarity of her own intention and examination of context. Of particular fun are the points when her ‘activist’ zeal is clotheslined by simple questions – a classic being: “what exactly do you think a flotilla is?” Ignorance is no longer bliss but it does make excellent punchlines in the hands of a pro.
References to the popular ex mayor of her hometown are a rich anecdotal well, as are her own experiences as someone whose intensions are good. Hagen’s skill allows her to say something meaningful without neglecting punchlines or rhythm, so that by the end we’re all exhaling right along with her.
Sofie Hagen: I Think Some Of This Is My Fault, 15.20, Monkey Barrel 1 at Monkey Barrel Comedy, 4-30 August (except Mondays)
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/sofie-hagen-i-think-some-of-this-is-my-fault
