Last year Sofie Hagen won the Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer. Now she’s here again, performing at the Free Fringe, with a brand new show that will knock your socks off. In this show, Sofie Hagen manages to be both a phenomenal storyteller and a fantastic comic. She’ll have you dialed in and laughing at everything she has to say. Her stage presence is so delightful and fun that you won’t be able to stop smiling. She feels the most authentic and the most human of any stand up I’ve seen at Fringe this season, and her show is not to be missed.
She describes, with utter hilarity, how hellish it can be to be around people, to be a human being, and how comforting it can be to be alone
In Shimmer Shatter, Hagen talks about her family, about a guy named Toby (who you will not forget after this show), and about being an introvert. Through her storytelling, Hegan invites you to take a glimpse of her inner world. You might be surprised to know how similar you feel on the inside. So much of what she says is perfectly relatable, and she’ll have you laughing not just at silly gags, but laughing in recognition because you’ve felt the same way.
Hagen gets to the core of what it feels like to be introverted. She describes, with utter hilarity, how hellish it can be to be around people, to be a human being, and how comforting it can be to be alone. The problem, of course, is that we all need people. In her descriptions of how she came to learn to be around people and come to terms with herself, you’d laugh your ass off and fall in love. Her show is so incredibly moving, especially at the end, that you might even cry.
Shimmer Shatter is hand’s down one of the best shows I’ve seen at Fringe this year -- and perhaps the single most heartwarming show, as well. You will be sorely disappointed if you don’t make it out to see Sofie Hagen before the month is over. One can only hope that she returns next year. If her show next year is even half as good as this show, I’ll still be first in line to see her again.
