Monkey Barrel at The Hive, EdinburghThe standup follows a first half of in-your-face jokes about American democracy with a palpably painful account of the loss of her motherStandup shows about losing a parent – “dead dad shows”, they get called – have …
Continue ReadingPleasance Courtyard, EdinburghDrawing on her experiences moving from Nigeria to the UK, this livewire standup delivers a multifaceted first fringe showThe fringe is nothing if not a place where unknowns can write their names across the stars. Ayoade Ba…
Continue ReadingSummerhall, EdinburghFrom existential angst to dotty monk routines, US clown John Norris marches to the beat of his own drumWith his show and persona Mr Chonkers, American clown John Norris scored a cult hit on the fringe three summers ago – and now a …
Continue ReadingPleasance Courtyard, EdinburghA man picks up a dead stranger’s lanyard and gets sucked into a sinister corporate world in Bunkum Ensemble’s unsettling playOn the way to an interview for a job, one in a proper office that his mum can be proud of, Ben We…
Continue ReadingPleasance Courtyard, EdinburghDelivered with self-deprecating joyfulness, this is a big-hitting set exploring life as a trans woman‘Sir, are you aware those are women’s clothes?” Even the most basic interactions can be fraught when you’re transgender, …
Continue ReadingUnderbelly, George Square, EdinburghA locked drawer that never opens, a rug that everyone walks all over … Emily Weitzman’s metaphors for boyfriends are ridiculous and revelatoryIt’s a sight for sore backs. Fringegoers accustomed to fold-out chairs lik…
Continue ReadingBanshee Labyrinth, EdinburghTheodora van der Beek’s inventive and quirky show about a slimy bloke targets the male gazeThe clue is in the fingers. Rubbery, bulbous things, they look as if they would leave a trail of slime if they touched you. And they …
Continue ReadingPleasance Dome, EdinburghCandid family snapshots meet leftist politics and wondrous prehistoric megafauna in Long’s singular take on the state of the world‘The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born.” Many of us will know that bit o…
Continue ReadingLove is in the air on the fringe as romantic partners put their private lives in the spotlight through daft sketches, acrobatics, folk songs – and a real weddingSome people blow their wedding budget in Las Vegas or on Venice’s Grand Canal. But the acto…
Continue ReadingUnderbelly Cowgate, EdinburghThis mix of acrobatics, feverish monologues, high-altitude accidents and apocalyptic physical comedy doesn’t need to have a rationale – does it?It is probably best not to ask too many questions. I mean, you could imagine Lo…
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