All credit to Lucy Frederick who has upped the Fringe stakes by moving from the Free Festival to instead woo the paying public of the Pleasance Dome this year with a brand new solo show. Using the loose terminology of ‘Into the Wild’ as a catch all term for her love of animals, Lucy shows off her posh, articulate, middle class whimsy to very special effect.
Despite the heat of her venue and the inevitable fatigue that sets in during the third week of the Fringe, Lucy displays the strength and lucidity that earned her a place in the 2012 Funny Women Awards final alongside some other very strong contenders.
Lucy reminds me of Miranda Hart who we saw on our Funny Women stage here at the Fringe in 2006 trying out material ahead of her now eponymous television series. Lucy has a similar tall stature and self-deprecating, jolly-hockey-sticks delivery. She writes with alacrity and verve and is not afraid to be the butt of her own jokes.
Combined with a marvellous physicality Lucy’s stories of a much loved dog and an over amorous dolphin were a particular hit with the audience. The teenage girls in the audience found this particularly funny with Lucy engaging them in a way that belied the potential inappropriateness of some of her material. This is a market that Miranda has captivated and we need more female comics who can appeal to the next generation of young women showing them that even when we get it wrong, there is always a moral and laugh to be had.
★★★★
Lucy Frederick is at the Gilded Balloon Pleasance Dome at 5.15pm 26th-30th August. For more information click here!
