Lucy’s back for her 12th Fringe stand-up show, and this time she’s on a mission to make the world a slightly kinder place.
The theme is ‘passing it on’, whether that’s old possessions, money, or just kindness in a cynical modern age. To illustrate the subject, two tables onstage are adorned with tacky knick-knacks passed on by her late mother, such as cat teapots and creepy glass clowns. Mercifully, they’re not handed out, as her daughter has asked her to keep them (‘Clearly, genius and taste have skipped a generation’).
Confronting the ageing process forms the backbone of Lucy’s set, with the menopause bringing in a great deal of laughs from the older audience members. There’s awkward meltdowns over comfy M&S jeans, raging at chuggers, and feeling inadequate in the face of overachieving Catholic churchgoers.
While the material is undoubtedly, as Lucy said herself, ‘unashamedly middle class’, she talks fondly of her humble upbringing and her mother’s achievements. Recollecting the sexism endured in her early comedy days also lent a sharper edge to the mostly cosy set. Whatever the subject, though, there’s real warmth to her delivery.
Most commendable of all, Lucy stuck around afterwards, handing out flyers for up-and-coming acts she wanted to help promote, plus a working-class Fringe guide. That’s a truly classy way to pass it on and pay it forward.
Pleasance Courtyard until 26th August
Ages 14+