Laufey Haralds: Nordic Noir

• Brian Donaldson
• 25 August 2019

Diverting but inspirational hour about the fictional Scandi crimewave

Laufey Haralds sets up her credentials as a delightful human being by being in the room to welcome us in and learning where we're all from. This is not necessarily her getting the front-row banter out of the way early, but as an Icelandic comedian it's wholly necessary to gauge the cultural spread of her room before setting off on her hour-long Fringe journey. There is one fellow Icelander present which allows her to visibly settle, but in truth, she doesn't really have much of a show to settle into.

Nordic Noir is Haralds' attempt to capitalise on the British love of fictional crime done the Scandi way. She pops on a Lund-esque woolly jumper and attempts to improvise a story through audience suggestions, but this is by far the weakest section of her hour given that her adlibbing skills seem rudimentary. Haralds is in on safer ground when discussing her country and its relationship to neighbouring nations and gets some joy out of the somewhat ironic names of Iceland and Greenland.

Dubbing herself repeatedly as a 'facts machine', she dishes out some mildly diverting bits of information and trivia about her upbringing and her nation, and Haralds has an enjoyable section about the lyrics of Abba reinterpreted as existential nuggets from Kierkegaard. But the overall feeling here is of a comic who needs to develop a more decisive stage presence and beef up her material.

Gilded Balloon Rose Theatre, until 25 Aug, 2pm, £9 (£8).