I made the most of turning 60 last year so I have my age in common with Charmian Hughes. This show is an update of last year’s when she decided to celebrate her 60th birthday by doing what she does best and write about this milestone.
Charmian delights as a performer. She twinkles and plays with her audience and mixes up the comedy with some other stuff that will come back at you later, even after you have had your fill of Edinburgh’s finest. With her kitchen kitsch dress and retro 1950s props Charmian identifies with her peer group as well as making the whole 60 thing look vaguely palatable, even to the younger people in the audience.
The best bits are when she confronts her younger selves through the ‘magic’ of theatre and a bit of imaginative role play. We are often asked what we would say to the child that we once were, and Charmian takes us through several decades to tell an insightful and relevant story about the woman who wrote and performed this show.
Comedy is rooted in truth and sometimes it is the sad stuff that provokes the most empathetic reaction – it is this that Charmian plays upon leaving us all on a high for whatever decade we are confronting ourselves.
A joyous and fun hour!
Charmian Hughes: Soixante Mirth is at the Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4 at 14:25 until 27th August. For tickets and more information click here!
★★★★
