For Hal Cruttenden's latest tour dates click here.
"Please see Hal, he's really good this year." Typical hype from a promoter I thought when I was advised to see Hal Cruttenden's show Tough Luvvie at the Edinburgh Festival last summer. I duly obliged and was duly disappointed. It was a stuffy room, a difficult crowd and early in the Festival before Cruttenden's skilful take-down of his own middle class lifestyle and its accompanying minutiae had really bedded in. So when I checked it out again at the Udderbelly this year it was with a slightly heavy heart. And, of course, this time I was blown away. The writing felt sharper, the performance was bigger and it probably helped that the venue was much nicer. Hal had been touring the show for a while and despite being just back from a break he really was really good this time. He is back in Edinburgh this summer with this great show and then touring it again in the autumn. Details here. You can read the original review here, but here's a much nicer version below.