Kieran Hodgson: French Exchange

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It's heartening to see a comedian willing to wear their heart on their sleeve. Kieran Hodgson's show recounts his teenage experiences on a school French exchange trip, and is stuffed with vibrant comic characters including zealous teachers, confused bullies and—most impressively—the whole of his host family, each immaculately realised. With a tight narrative, the characters interact faultlessly, and the formative significance of small moments is shown to be what ends up making a man.

Hodgson's embodiment of the multiple characters is elegant and impressive. This is an excellent performance, capturing the ways in which different people carry their bodies. The humour—and the show is really funny—constantly turns on characters' misunderstandings of themselves, not least because being a teenager involves spending much time trying to attain authenticity. This means characters are comic because of what they don't say, highlighting the British fear of honest communication.

But what elevates the show beyond its comic narrative is the evident empathy Hodgson has towards his characters. None of them is cruelly mocked, and all are revealed to be the victims of their circumstances. More than that, Hodgson's story examines the responsibilities a performer has towards his story, the people in it, and the memories they draw on. Is it moral to lie about the past in order to get a laugh in the present? What would the teenage Hodgson think of the adult? Where some shows elicit audience emotions cynically, here this is earned and legitimate.