Edy Hurst’s Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Himself

Edinburgh Fringe – Assembly

Edy Hurst’s Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Himself is proof that you can really tie anything together to form a conspiracy theory and make it mean anything.  This is just a very fun show, where exaggeration and irony pervade the humour and create this comically spooky, mad-cap adventure. 

It’s both a self-aware insight into witchcraft and the witch trials as well as an ode to the Vengaboys, two topics as far apart as they get. Hurst really taps into the spectrum of the ludicrous in this one. Alongside Hurst, we learn the basics of witchcraft and how to channel these powers, as Hurst traces his lineage back to the Pendle Witch Trials, and we find out the conspiracy at the heart of the Vengaboys multiverse. It’s really a roller-coaster because there’s absolutely no indication of where Hurst will take us next within he confines of the venue, and the way it’s all set up, it could really be anywhere. 

“Comically spooky, mad-cap adventure”

This show has a riotously silly basis, from which Hurst builds and performs material wholly around this theme, which can be incredibly difficult. In poking fun of all of these different tropes to do with the witch trial and applying a modern logic to the past, Hurst gives a really wonderful performance, but this topic could be taken further, as this material was his strongest. The attention of the show is constantly flitting between several places at once to the point where we don’t know where we should be looking. Hurst’s strongest material is about these witch-trials, where he takes an almost slap-stick approach to point out the logical flaws of a lot of these trials, and the material does suffer a little when he then becomes distracted by things about the Vengaboys. Whether that’s because it is easier for us to understand or visualize the witch trials whilst his Vengaboys material really comes out of nowhere is difficult to say. It is initially introduced as a distraction and just continues to be one. It’s almost like he’s put two separate shows together. 

The magic of theatre is truly pervasive throughout the hour, and feeds into Hurst’s comedy. A light-hearted and very crazy hour right at the heart of the Fringe. 

By Katerina Partolina Schwartz

Photo Credit: Andy Hollingworth