RATING: 3/5
NICOLE Harris comes to the Edinburgh Fringe with her show No Brainer, providing a dose of brave, bold comedy, albeit rather hectically.
The start was promising, as Nicole dragged us downstairs and then hid behind the bar, introducing her show with all the poise of a seasoned presenter.
It’s perfectly clear from the beginning it’s going to be a risque show.
The venue was perfect for this type of uni-personal show and Nicole is one of those people who have a well-sought, unpretentious humour that oozes femininity.
The fact that she laughs along to her jokes as much as the audience does adds to the fun.
She is effortlessly funny, and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone in the room who didn’t appreciate the whirlwind of energy she brought with her.
Unfortunately though, the show did lack some structure, and jokes were sometimes left midway.
Too much material was laid out, at the expense of the audience, creating a rather repetitive set at times.
The show was meant to be as transgressive as herself, but that energy needs to be channelled in a way that makes it easy for us to follow the main theme, if there was one.
Interaction needs to be a tad more controlled as well, as at one point the public was the one providing the jokes, shouting over Nicole’s own voice.
There were a few star moments littered throughout though.
I thoroughly enjoyed the gimmick intervals when she covered the mic and voiced “our thoughts” about the performance or her “sexy pose”.
Another cracking laugh comes when she tells the story of how she was dumped from a polyamorous relationship with an “it’s not you, it’s us”.
Improvisation is brave and it takes a lot of skill to go in bare with just a handful of ideas and a hope that the audience can match your energy, so Nicole can be highly commended for that alone.
If you are not shy and are looking to just unwind, laugh and be part of a performance then you will be content with what Nicole Harris has for you every day until Saturday, 27th August at 7:30pm in the Hanover Tap as part of the Laughing Horse event.
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