Glasgow-based stand-up Kathleen Hughes has been showing great promise since picking up a mic n 2020. In that time she has reached the finals of ‘So You Think You’re Funny?’ and Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year. She more than exceeds expectation in her debut hour ‘Cryptid’. A full introduction to a delightful stage presence and a strong calling card with an unusual paranormal twist, there’s rarely a misstep here.

A fan of all things spooky and weird since childhood, Hughes ties the notion of the cryptid – an animal of unsubstantiated or disputed existence like the Yeti or the Loch Ness Monster – into her search for her authentic self. Herein lies the rub; a debut hour usually announces, ‘Here I am!’ Much harder to do when the performer isn’t so sure who that is themselves. This uncertainty turns out to be no bad thing, giving ‘Cryptid!’ a more unconventional throughline and allowing Hughes to weave together personal and supernatural strands like a helix.

Hughes makes wheat seems like a throwaway gag about bisexuality early on in the show. It turns out this is perhaps the aspect of herself she wrestles with the most. Is she betraying a crucial part of her identity by being in a long term relationship with a cis man? She approaches this from various witty and inventive angles with real candour. This self-examination is crucial to the Kathleen Hughes stage persona; curious, intelligent, and confident. Her open stage presence relaxes the capacity audience who aren’t shy in responding when she asks similar questions of them. She is simply fantastic with a crowd, whether gently coaxing someone into expressing a similar uncertainty with their sexuality, or recounting a paranormal experience; both things a person might be normally reticent about discussing in public.

You could argue that Hughes’ assured performance and calmly confident demeanour are not indicators of someone who is unsure of themself. But really these form an anchor which allows the various facets of her self-exploration to orbit around without flying off into the either. Whether she’s anthropomorphising legendary creatures (she can relate to Bigfoot having that one good photo they use for everything), or having an almost apologetic conversation with her younger self, Hughes can always rely on that fundamental reassuring charisma.

Apart from a few occasions where its elasticity is tested, her central metaphor is infinitely malleable and helps to raise a strong debut hour into an exceptional one. Kathleen Hughes covers a lot of ground in an hour; childhood, adolescence, girl power in comparison to feminism, relationships, and sexuality, and threads them all together on that one central strand. It’s a robust structure on which Hughes assembles the various pieces that make her who she is, as much as she’s still figuring that out. The Scottish comedy scene is arguably in the rudest health it’s ever been and Kathleen Hughes is yet another distinctive and vivid voice who is surely only going to get even better.

‘Cryptid!‘ is at Gilded Balloon Patter House – Snug until Mon 26 Aug 2024 (except Mon 12) at 16:20