Review: Eddy Hare: This One's On Me

Eddy Hare | Photo by Rebecca Need-Menear

While plenty of comics create shows based on whether, when and how to become parents, Eddy Hare subverts the theme by looking at his links with a new generation from another angle.

His solemn demeanour disguising the playfulness of his material, he explores his role as an uncle, presenting it as a position of great responsibility and breadth. He wants to be a “funkle”, not a “cunkle”, and jokes about how his parents had to raise him alone, with not nearly enough input from his own uncles.

It’s a lovely idea, and Hare – one half of the Crizards sketch duo, here presenting his solo debut – expands on it with flights of fancy that include being jealous of a clown at a kids’ party, and expressing concern that, as an uncle, he might pass on “the mopeys” to a child.

There’s some nice material, too, about having been an “early bloomer” in terms of body hair, but also struggling with his early-onset bald patch. The bit about his barber’s response to that source of anxiety at the top of his head is beautifully written, as are the songs he performs with his guitar. He’s very talented.

For all its charm, something feels slightly out of reach. Perhaps it’s to do with Hare’s stock-in-trade deadpan delivery and the subtlety of the material. But there’s a lot to love about This One’s On Me, and it’s interesting to see him venturing out on his own.