Edinburgh Fringe 2024
I Know a Guy
Sharon Em / PBH's Free Fringe
Venue: PBH's Free Fringe @ Uno Mas
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
A very funny stand-up which weaves a complex tale, thanks to the way that it is told by this enthusiastic woman of danger and needs. This works round relationships and the perils therein, the Irish mentality and the mental irony of priests with connections and nuns teaching sex education along with a woman who until she was 30 had no idea why she had issues with being abandoned – the truth does more than set her free.
Review
If ever there was a reason to take a chance at a Fringe this, is it. I had a show I was due to visit turn out to be one I had not properly booked. I had some spare time and found I Know A Guy by sheer chance. Serendipity be damned, I had the most pleasant of hours in a really funny show that twists, turns and returns to elements of previous stories to tie up current ones which double down as hilarious between them. From the baby in the bar being left behind, seeking therapy and answers in equal measure we get Sharon’s story and what a bloody story!
I shall not spoil the surprise but let me tell you, that once you get started on this rollercoaster, watch out for the unexpected threads being drawn together. Sharon Em has a conversational style which, given that there is a front row, and it works really well here. The venue, Uno Mas is some distance from the main thoroughfares and busy terminals for Fringe audiences but take a wander. I was well rewarded.
Sharon can sometimes come across as rambling, looking or seeking approbation from her audience – not necessarily for someone with abandonment issues, the wrong thing to think – but it is a clever guise. You may not be taken in, but she delivers connections at various points, leading to the punchline and headline of the show which is exceptionally clever.
These feel like well worn stories and anyone who turns up with a suitcase on a first date with the intention of moving in must have practised these over and over as conversational pieces, so we are getting a routine which has been practised in front of more than just the cat. It has been honed close to perfection. It just needs a little more pace in the middle and more confidence in the fact that THIS IS funny.
It is certainly odd. I might also not start the “can’t be arsed” bit at the beginning because it is reminiscent of Aisling Bea’s routine – also an Irish comedienne so you kind of get the joke and wonder about who said it first. Sharon is capable of better – even if it was her that Bea copied… that ship has sailed but what has not sailed is the chance to catch this as it is on all Fringe – so make an effort and find out if a Priest really did kidnap her to return her to her parents when she was just two; and if her mother really did suffer from a deadly case of celeriac allergy… I Know a Girl who has the answers to those and you could do with making her acquaintance – just panic if she turns up at your house with a suitcase…
