Holly Burn: The H Club

Review by Bernard O'Leary | 13 Aug 2012

This is the kind of show where, if you ask someone how it was, they'll reply, "it was...different".

Burns is welcoming us to Edinburgh's newest private member's club, a place where we can be who we want and act out our wildest fantasies. Ten minutes with Burns should be enough to convince you that your fantasies are pretty tame, as she zips around the stage screaming, rapping, pouring water on herself, and switching in and out of characters that straddle the line between comedy and performance art.

You can't doubt her commitment. Not when she's frantically whipping herself with an audience member's belt. You can definitely doubt her grasp on reality and, even though the whole thing is a lot more carefully structured than she's letting on, you'll still wonder exactly how high she was when she wrote this show.

In terms of entertainment value, it's wildly inconsistent. Some parts are hilarious and ingenious, others are just baffling. Definitely worth seeing, purely for the experience of watching someone be completely mental for an hour.

It's...different.

Holly Burns: The H Club, Just The Tonic, until 26 August (not 14), 16:40, £8/£7 http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/holly-burn-the-h-club