Nat Luurtsema: Here She Be

Here She Be is a complete show but only one third of a story. Nat Luurtsema is the former girlfriend of comedian Tom Craine. Craine is doing his own show at the Fringe about his breakup from Luurtsema. What's more, they are both performing together as part of sketch trio Jigsaw. By rights there should be some sort of group pass available to watch all three shows before passing judgement.

In Here She Be (which, unlike Craine’s show, is free) Luurtsema offers her side of the story, from the first days of their romance to the indignity of suffering a panic attack in Switzerland – with some messy consequences.

As a narrator she expertly handles the pace of the hour and is unflinching in her professionalism, despite her awkward persona. This compensates for a fair few jokes which don’t quite hit their targets and a PA system more geared toward pub karaoke than professional standup.

The real joy is to be had in the slow reveal that Luurtsema is talking about a real person and not some fictional comedy ex she has invented for the purposes of the show. Apparently autofiction is morally justifiable if everyone is at it, though you do feel sorry for the third member of Jigsaw, Dan Antopolski, who has to deal with the consequences. Luurtsema is a good standup in her own right, and definitely a highlight at the Free Festival.