Funny, Tender A Wonderfully Quirky Tale The Beauty Of Being Herd

With fond memories of Edinburgh Fringe fading fast, watching Ruth Berkoff’s debut show, The Beauty of Being Herd, made me realise that in York, we’re lucky enough to have the opportunity to be able to experience funny Fringe theatre right on our doorstep all year round. Theatre @41 is deservedly building up a reputation for being York’s leading fringe venue.

Ruth’s show was brilliantly “baa, and by the end of the evening she had the audience eating out of her hoof!

No easy feat coming on cold to perform stand-up comedy, singing original quirky songs, and telling everyone why her character Hannah didn’t want to live as a human anymore, but Ruth managed to do so with ease. She morphed in front of our eyes into a sheep as she planned to move to a field to be part of a flock she’d previously spotted and so needed this perfect disguise.

"BBaa “rking? Absolutely, but we as an audience were willing to be herded into her tale and quickly realised that behind the comedy mask was a very vulnerable individual who longed to be connected to others.

From oversharing at parties, desperately trying to follow human rules at a rave, and failing miserably, Ruth made her character utterly believable, and you wanted to shout out, “It’s okay, just be yourself; stop trying so hard; I’ll listen to you!” All credit to the writing and delivery, as we felt Hannah’s pain and disappointment when she lost trust in the people she met, particularly when they didn’t follow the rules of society. Key issues of anxiety, loneliness, and fear of not fitting in were handled in a most creative and original way.

This was a funny, tender, and wonderfully quirky tale, delivered with heartfelt honesty by a most talented entertainer who really connected with her audience.

Let’s hope Ruth Berkoff returns to Theatre@41 next year with another unique show.