EDINBURGH 2013 - BWW Reviews: CAROLINE RHEA, Gilded Balloon, August 5 2013

Cards on the table. I am a huge fan of Sabrina The Teenage Witch. I don't even mean in an "oh yes I watched that as a child" kind of way. More like "I have all seven seasons on dvd and watched them just last week". So imagine my delight to see that Caroline Rhea (perhaps best known as "Aunt Hilda") was making a return to the Fringe.

There is a fair amount of negativity towards Scotland in her routine, but rest assured it is all in good humour. When urging everyone to join in with a song and dance she advises everyone "pretend you're not Scottish for a minute, pretend to be animated". Also highlighting our tendency to be overly polite, she offered her water to a woman in the audience who was suffering in the heat. She declined the water and Rhea said this only proves her point, "she is bright red, fanning herself and still insisting that she is fine".

Audience interaction is Rhea's strong point. Having seen her show before when she last played the Fringe there are a couple of stories that I was familiar with, but her ability to involve the audience means that it is a different show every night.

Caroline Rhea is absolutely fantastic; her knack for storytelling is excellent. From anecdotes from Sabrina (no, the cat was not real) to her wise decision to not take advice on giving her daughter Ava the middle name Gina (say it together) she produces a solid hour of brilliant comedy.

Caroline Rhea performs at Gilded Balloon until August 22nd. Ticket information is available here.