Bec Hill in... Ellipsis, Gilded Balloon, Review

Submitted by maxb on Tue, 5 Aug '14 1.21am
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Edinburgh Festival review
Rating (out of 5)
5
Show info
Company
Bec Hill
Production
Ellipsis
Performers
Bec Hill
Running time
55mins

In the comedy and performance vortex that is "The Fringe" it's hard to stand out but in the Gilded Balloon’s wee “Turret”, Bec Hill stands on chairs and tables as well as the stage and pulls it off. "Yeah, yeah", you say. "No really", I say. As a jaded fifty-something haunter of the Fringe for x years, I have seen many comedians try to tread their own path and stumble. Bec Hill is literally light-footed, sexy, physical, funny and clever and reaches her destination upright and smiling.

Quietly spoken though it is, she has an agenda but very much part of her whole so it would be wrong to deny it. Her material is sharp and smart while her deceptively simple and highly effective props delight and entertain adults as if they were children. And the props work too - despite their sealing wax and string appearance.

As with most audiences, mine was a little quiet at first but Hill works at winning them from the moment they enter and succeeds very quickly without (much) humiliation! Listen carefully and you will find ways to reduce your food bills guilt-free and control the weather with your mind.

The most remarkable thing for me was the variety of comedic styles she moves through in her short hour of happy fun, yet it seems unlaboured and uncrowded. With all that easy energy, she’s a pleasure to watch and received affirming nods and a sincere cheer from the delighted audience at the end of the show.

Definitely five well-earned stars from me for pure comedy value.

Age suitability 16+
4th-24th August(not 12th)
5.30 p.m
£8.50/£7.50 - 2 for 1 on 4 & 5th.