The Fringe may offer a dazzling choice of different comedy styles each year, but there is still something special about a beautifully crafted hour of stand-up.
“I’m a natural storyteller,” mock-boasts Heidi Regan early on. Actually that’s only half the story, as the increasingly skillful writer/performer also weaves in some next-level business, unpacking sentences mid-anecdote to explain why she changed one word, then role-playing how this liberal audience would be doubly distracted otherwise, then returning to the narrative. And it all seems wonderfully natural.
Levels are a big theme here, as Regan compares some awkward NHS experiences to a very low-key video game. The main event is a medical problem that eventually meant injecting her with something many women dread, after tripping happily on hospital meds. Meanwhile there’s turmoil elsewhere, as her body mirrors her home life, things clinging together that probably shouldn’t.
The upbeat Aussie comic could have taken a more headline-grabbing tone, tugging on heartstrings, but keeps it fun, if often thought provoking. The show has everything really: hospital drama, relatable relationship angst, even some meta material for the ams-folded head-nodders.
This may be Regan’s last Fringe for a while, apparently. If so, she’s heading out on a high.
Heidi Regan: Jekyll and Heidi, PBH’s Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth, until 24 Aug (not 12), 6.05pm