Review: Kathleen Hughes, Cryptid! Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024
- Lisa in the theatre
- Aug 11, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: May 23
Kathleen Hughes: Cryptid! ★★★★☆
Review: Gilded Balloon Patter House
Edinburgh Festival Fringe 10 August 2024
A Cryptid is an animal that has been claimed to exist but never proven. Think Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster. With her debut comedy show 'Cryptid!' Glaswegian comedian Kathleen Hughes finds that she can relate. With a lifetime of moulding and changing herself to fit various communities and identities, never finding her truest self, Kathleen sought comfort in stories of the paranormal and unexplained.
In the Gilded Balloon Patter House Snug, at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Kathleen finds humour in tales about identity, imperfection and spooky weird things like aliens and the paranormal. Stories of growing up in 90's central Scotland brought nods of recognition from the women in the audience who had likewise been told that they couldn't pursue a "boys" career. Hilarious encounters with the creepy and the absurd were traded both ways. Kathleen deftly weaves a thread between the everyday and the extraordinary.
With her confident, amiable stage presence Kathleen quickly had the audience at ease. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and it felt like a safe space to share experiences, no matter how bizarre. Kathleen's whole show felt like chatting with a friend in the pub - if your friend happened to be brilliantly funny and entertaining. Full of personal anecdotes and never shying away from the darker realities of growing up under pressure to fit in, Kathleen's bright and witty observations clearly resonated with the attentive audience.
With Cryptid! Kathleen has created a stand-up hour that will appeal to anyone interested in the unusual or unexplainable. It's a lively, sharp and thought-provoking debut hour from a comedian who has been climbing the ranks in recent years, making the finals of Gilded Balloon's national "So You Think You're Funny?" new act competition in 2021 and the finals of Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year in 2023.
Kathleen Hughes definitely exists and she is now allowing herself to be seen! If you're quick, you'll find her at the Gilded Balloon Patter House until 26 August. ★★★★☆
Kathleen Hughes: Cryptid! Edinburgh dates
Dates: 31st July – 26th August (not 12th)
Time: 16:20
Venue: Gilded Balloon Patter House (Snug)
Address: 3 Chambers St, Edinburgh, EH1 1HT
⌚ Running time: 60 minutes
⚠️ Age Recommendation | 16+
Warnings and additional info: Strong language/swearing
🎟️ Tickets £9.50 - £12.50: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/kathleen-hughes-cryptid
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Disclosure: I am an Edinburgh Festival Fringe accredited media reviewer and as such I receive complimentary press tickets in exchange for my honest reviews. My reviews and star ratings are always my honest opinions.
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