Harriet Richardson Debuts Creep at Edinburgh Fringe
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- Harriet Richardson debuts her solo show Creep at the Edinburgh Fringe, framing it as a confessional narrative about an intense online interaction with an older comedian
- Harriet Richardson traces the origins of Creep to her 2024 viral performance piece 100 Dates, in which she analyzed infatuation through Valentine’s Day speed-dating sessions
- An older comedian initiated contact with Richardson via DM using her 100 Dates project as a pickup line, leading to sexually suggestive messages including 'Do you want to see my trophy?' and explicit images
- Richardson responded by obsessively tracking the comedian on a dating app for six months, repeatedly playing his profile song and monitoring his activity
- Richardson presents evidence throughout Creep using a PowerPoint slideshow, including fleeting flashes of explicit content and documented message exchanges
- Creep unfolds as a chronological debrief rather than a joke-driven set, relying on Richardson’s charisma and storytelling precision to sustain audience engagement
Why it matters: Richardson turns a personal experience of digital harassment and obsession into a structured theatrical critique of how we perform identity online—giving audiences a rare look at how power, gender, and attention operate in virtual spaces. The show’s format challenges comedy norms by prioritizing narrative over punchlines, marking a shift in what fringe audiences accept as standup.
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