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Holly Burn, Edinburgh Fringe review: a hyperactive hour of character comedy

In I Am Kirsty K, Burn delivers a very unusual eulogy to a dead grandmother

Alice Jones
Monday 17 August 2015 09:57 BST
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Holly Burn in character as Kirsty K
Holly Burn in character as Kirsty K (Linda Blacker )

You might recognise Holly Burn from her hilarious YouTube spoof of Victoria Beckham's 73 Questions interview for Vogue. She's in character again for her new show, I am Kirsty K.

Indeed, in a Daniel Day Lewis-style commitment to her act, she has resolved to live as Kirsty K for the entire month of the Fringe, which, to judge from just 60 minutes with her, must be completely exhausting.

Kirsty K is a hyperactive Geordie lass in a neon cat t-shirt and dungarees, with a ponytail almost as high as her excitement levels. The concept of the show is that she is delivering a eulogy to her beloved Nan, whose dying wish was for Kirsty - who has never left Whitley Bay - to do a six-month world tour of the places she lived during her extraordinary life.

Burn is an irresistible performer - whether doing forward rolls, rapping about things her Nan liked (“Soup! Savlon! Chinese Men!”) or trying to blow out a candle.

Her writing is strong too, packed with deliciously surreal details. The claims she makes for her Nan - she invented Snapchat and cheese on toast - are wonderful, as are excerpts from her diary/ travelogue.

It's a little chaotic, particularly towards the end, but Burn's charm and energy more than paper over the cracks.

Just The Tonic at The Caves, to 30 August (www.edfringe.com)

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