Edinburgh 2022: Review: SOFIE HAGEN: FAT JOKES, Monkey Barrel Comedy - Monkey Barrel 3

"You're not fat, you're beautiful." It's a phrase many have heard and will probably continue to hear for a long time. It's also a phrase that Sofie Hagen is taking on and showing us that fat and beauty are not mutually exclusive. She's also making us laugh so hard that, when I saw her show last night, I didn't stop for the entire hour. In fact, I made ridiculous noises, like a donkey, trying to recover myself from her witty brand of comedy.

Fat Jokes is sixty minutes of Sofie being herself. And herself is hilarious. From coming out stories, smug feelings about getting someone's pronouns right, to the perils of chairs when you are fat, and the amazing tale of being chased across East London by a hairdresser. Sofie's natural way is both gentle but also sharp as a tack when it comes to observations and telling it like it really is when your body doesn't fit into the norms of society.

From her own lips, Sofie's career is in a weird place. More people have heard of her than ever before. A few absolutely love her and want to be her best friend forever, another few absolutely hate her and everything she stands for. The rest just kind of like her. I challenge anyone to watch Fat Jokes and not immediately decide she is in the Top 10 Humans on the planet right now.

There's not much else I can say in this review other than that her stand-up show is one of the best things I've seen at The Fringe this year. We need more people like Sofie Hagen. So whatever you do before you bid farewell to Bonnie Edinburgh, do yourself a favour and see Fat Jokes before it ends. You will leave with aching sides and a desire to be her very own "gag hag" for life.

Sofie Hagen: Fat Jokes is on at Monkey Barrel Comedy - Monkey Barrel 3 until August 28

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