Sophie Duker roars onto the stage in her Lidl logo socks and growling voice, making it clear she’ll be taking no shit this evening. The comic is no longer a newbie to the Fringe: her show ‘Venus’ debuted here in 2019 and show was shortlisted for best newcomer in Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Now, she’s back after some telly triumph, with recent wins of both ‘Taskmaster’ and ‘Celebrity Mastermind’ under her belt.
Her new show, ‘Hag’, is a gleefully chaotic journey through magic, sex, race, and queerness. The show is peppered with Tory prods and words of wisdom for her elders and juniors (‘a threesome will mend your relationship,’ in case you’re wondering). Even though she’s made a name for herself as a small screen star, it definitely hasn’t hindered her ability to dish out brutally clever digs.
The actual meat of the show, though, is much more ridiculous. Duker talks about horoscopes (they’re fake, by the way), before delving into her outrageous disgust at misinterpreting the Chinese zodiac. So far, so very funny. Then she tells us about the time as a child when she was sent to live with her bad bitch grandmother in Ghana. Just as we wrap our heads around that, it takes a turn to chat about ‘het sex’ and going on a ‘lesbian cruise’ with 700 women. Then, we’re talking about crystal witches. It’s all gloriously weird and entertaining, but the structure feels fragmented and just doesn’t seem to flow.
The show ends with a sort-of-conclusion where Duker finds solace in learning to live more truthfully as she enters her thirties. The main takeaway is that she’s reclaimed the word ‘hag’ as her own: she’s a hot hag, and she’s very much okay with it. Why shouldn’t she be? She’s steamy, spooky, and bubbling with sharp observations – her anecdotes in themselves are oozing with wit and the audience is clearly on board with it all. But it’s definitely a strange ride, for better and for worse. If this show is about Duker growing up, maybe her forties will be a little more coherent? But then again, maybe not.
