Browsing through the plethora of shows on offer at Edinburgh Fringe, along with a distinct shortage of hours in the day meant that choosing which ones to see came down to a head or a heart decision, but for a few it was a feeling in my gut that sealed the deal. Kate Kennedy’s Hunch, which plays at the Assembly Roxy, was one of those decisions, and it looks like it was the right decision to make.
It’s a really interesting concept, it feels like given the turmoil facing the world today we are always looking for someone who has the answers, but what if we lived in a world where there were decision making superheroes to do the hard job for us? This world exists in Hunch. The citizens of Hum, who don’t appear all that different to us, apart from eating Oink or Moo for tea, can call upon the head, heart or even genitals to step in and make choices for them.
Una has always struggled making decisions, mainly due to the odd feeling she gets in her gut, but it turns out that those feelings will make her Hum’s newest superhero – Hunch. Now she’s making decisions for everyone else, she starts to question the choices she’s making for herself.
For the audience it takes a couple of scenes to work out where we are in this alternative reality, as bits and pieces of information are revealed in tantalising snippets. Kennedy’s performance is warm and engaging and it becomes very easy to fall in to her story and remain invested it. There’s a very discrete comedy woven through the story and it’s not until afterwards you realise just how much you laughed.
Hunch makes good use of lighting and sound effects to transport us to this superhero world and director, Sara Joyce has made sure that the small stage does not inhibit Kennedy’s performance. A very interesting and engaging monologue that will prove to be the right decision for any Fringe visitor.
