Su Pollard makes her Edinburgh debut in this gritty but surprisingly charming & heart warming play.
Birdie is a loner who finds solace in ‘stuff’. This gets out of control leaving her a desperate hoarder. Su masterfully owns this 60 minute play with faultless energy and drive.
Su Pollard is best known for Peggy from Hi-de-Hi! This show couldn’t be further from this role which is hugely thrilling. Su shines as a remarkable actress with incredible pathos.
Enjoy our audio/video review via YouTube:
With northern gritty humour – this play and Su’s delivery had moments of Victoria Wood-esk observation, word play and genius at it’s best.
Philip Meeks’ HARPY requires faultless comic timing which Pollard delivers effortlessly.
She’s naturally funny, in fact bloody hysterical at times. Her warmth and charm is a given. We love her and that is a huge bonus with a piece like this.
SOLD OUT @ EDINBURGH FESTIVAL:
We need to fall in love with this tragic character, no matter how floored – we do, almost instantly!
What’s also lovely about Harpy is that it plays to Su’s strength. The use of music, lighting and ‘the space’ is very clever adding to the simplicity of what could be a challenging story to stage.
There’s no denying Su was born a star. The warmth from this SOLD OUT audience was incredible.
Meeks’ touching play is peppered with pathos & cruelty. These moments are some of the most magical…no matter how uncomfortable. Su is great at portraying this personal tragedy.
The show is a little disjointed in places and can be confusing in transition between characters at time. It’s a wordy & speedy play that moves at 100mph. Pay attention!
I’m sure if toured or given a West End run the lighting / sound / staging could be better used to signpost the various character changes.
But if nothing else, you cannot deny Su Pollard shines at the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe.
Review by Alex Belfield for Celebrity Radio 9th Aug 2018.
Leave a Reply