EDINBURGH 2014 - BWW Reviews: HARRIET DYER BARKING AT AEROPLANES, Bar 50, August 8 2014

Barking At Aeroplanes is Harriet Dyer's stand-up show which explores the fine line being classed as eccentric, or being labelled "mental".

Harriet has spent a great deal of time working on a wheel/chart which measures levels of her craziness and as she tells her anecdotes she moves the arrow to demonstrates where she reckons she is on the scale at that point. Doing things like going to the doctors for a problem is at the calm end of the scale whereas shaving off another pupil's eyebrows at school veers towards the slightly more erratic end.

Dyer tells us that some audiences have been a little unsure and uncomfortable by her revelations (for example "people keep trying to section me") but she assures everyone that if she's ok with it then we should be too. An example of one of her anecdotes is that in order to get some time off of work, she asked her friend to break her arm with a mallet. When that didn't work she went to the doctor who suggested that she might benefit from some time away.

While I admire the honesty that has gone into her routine, as a piece of comedy it is absolutely fantastic. The scenarios and situations are funny on their own but Dyer's timing and material is just priceless. Her puns are excellent and I also feel that credit should be given for use of the word "smithereens" during the set.

The performance is left open ended. Harriet Dyer has led a very interesting life so far and she can't swear that she won't have any more dramatic incidents or that someone won't try to section her again. She accepts that she is an eccentric person and is willing to just see what happens in life and that seems to be the message she is trying to convey.

Barking At Aeroplanes is part of the free Fringe at Bar 50 until August 24th.

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