ED2022 4/5 Reviews ED2022 Theatre Reviews

Freddie Hayes: Potatohead (Freddie Hayes in association with Pleasance and York Theatre Royal)

By | Published on Wednesday 24 August 2022

Directed by Sh!t theatre, ‘Potatohead’ lacks their biting, salty feminist angle, but is definitely the daftest ‘Dr Faustus’ on the Fringe, and definitively answers the question “What if a potato came from Leeds?” Audience singalongs, deliberately awful puns and ventriloquism, and crazy puppets build an unhinged, involving panto-like performance from the gurning, silly, loveable Hayes. Out-of-character asides, true or not, evoke empathy with her puppet-building obsession, but her sinful, grotesque potato nightclub friends prove it’s worth it. Plus, we get a long-overdue character assault on Lineker. However, perhaps there’s a little too much video, the narrative conclusion abruptly says ‘that’s Charlotte!’ and the swansong is as cheesy as chips, so please subtract a star if you hate Robbie Williams.

Pleasance Courtyard, until 29 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Richard Tyrone Jones]

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