Cults and teen goths have more in common than you might think, in a dark and deadpan hour of less cheerful comedy
Hannah Platt has been a rising comedian around the UK for a few years now, and one of the first people I wanted to see for a whole hour rather than as another suggestion on Instagram reels. A show about cults, by a comedian who loves joking about being unable to make eye contact? Sounds like a recipe for fun!
From start to finish Hannah knows how to make a character of herself – so often she’s picked out the perfect kind of grimace or scowl when giving a backhanded joke, or when she’s trying to act out a story. Her funniest moments in her hour are often accompanied by some really unexpected physical comedy that lands the punchline with extra force, or makes you cringe just that little harder when she wants to make you uncomfortable with a joke. The theme of cults seems like one ripe for exploration, who better to understand maniacal, charismatic and often evil leaders than comedians? While Hannah does get to play with cults and how they (much like comedians) often gain fame posthumously in tragic circumstances, once this well runs dry there’s little else in the theme she explores to any great depth. This does sour the pacing somewhat as Hannah is funny, I knew that before but the thematic shortfalls frustratingly often get in the way of her funnier deliveries. It sadly often felt like a WIP , which is not a good thing to be unsure about by the end of the show.
At it’s best Hannah’s dark comedy about how relatable cult’s suicidal ambitions used to appeal to her younger, less therapised self had the room laughing hard at some great deadpan deliveries. When the show is more personal we all have a better time laughing with or at some of the retrospective looks at 2000s teen goth culture or how surreal actually wanting to die to be famous is. The darker, personal subjects really shined as Hannah was always able to create tension with good physical comedy, a deadpan delivery before popping the bubble and making the room laugh. The theme does really feel like the lynchpin of the show however, and without better focus or alternatively more freedom it feels like it holds back Hannah’s talent, and prevents us from seeing the best of her.
Hannah Platt: Cult Classic is on at 19:15 in the Pleasance Courtyard, every day before the 30th of August. Tickets here.