Edd Hedges: For Eva, From Forever Ago (Rating 4/5)
Depending which statistics you read, the average Fringe audience is four people. On the second Thursday of the Fringe proper, Edd Hedges is playing to an audience only slightly above average. It’s the smallest crowd he’s played to, and it’s a great shame. Hedges is a great storyteller and this is a well-structured, amusing and well-told tale.
It spans thirty years, but not chronologically. Beginning with a text he received on his way back from last year’s fringe, Hedges takes us through various parts of his family’s history as well as his own, seemingly side stepping away from the story the show is meant to be about but actually building up to it.
The blurb for the show may make it sound like it’s going to be some sort of ghost story with references to car accidents, Halloween parties and thunderstorms, but that’s not the case. The final denouement is probably the weakest part, partly because of this and also because the rest of the set was so strong and the storytelling so compelling.
Hedges was nervous about playing in front of such a small audience, but really shouldn’t have been. His material and delivery are strong enough that he doesn’t need a big audience to make it work. He does, however, deserve one.
Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 26 August
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