Former science teacher and Soho Theatre Labs grad S. Callaghan takes us on a walk down women’s health lane in this delightfully peculiar, info-packed hour.
As an absurd, but nevertheless bang-on accurate, authority in all things female anatomy, Callaghan’s principle gal cycles through the multitudes of the female form with brisk, bizarre energy. From orgasms (or the lack of them), to the wonder and weirdness of womb lining, every audience member will walk away having learnt something new, here.
Callaghan is an accomplished performer with stage presence aplenty, and this show is a prime example of their many talents. What Fringe show would be complete without a quick switch into drag? Boy, does The Duke deliver. This moustachioed misogynist gets all the guys accepting handshakes about horrors they aren’t quick enough to pick up on. He proceeds to choose a bride with minimal consultation, putting on a bawdy, bendy post-nuptial display the likes of which you’ve never seen. It’s giving big prick energy, in more than one way.
There’s creative, clever choices in the details with #Hysterical, as you expect from someone like Callaghan. The trending prop of choice at this year’s Brighton Fringe has to be the humble dildo. Were such an award to exist, Callaghan would be certain to receive the one for ‘best technological use of one’. We won’t spoiler it, or point you in the right direction. You’ll have to see this for yourselves. This weirdness is wonderful, and this reviewer has just one constructive comment – what would it be like to take this even further? Magnificent, we suspect.
#Hysterical is an important show that blasts away inaccurate nonsense around the female body with humour and a peppering of historical background. If you’d like to become a master in all things menstruation, or a professor in female pleasure (not you, perverts – we’re watching), #Hysterical is well worth a watch.
Reviewed on 31 May 2026.
The Reviews Hub Star Rating
-
9
