Phil Wang review – record-breaking riffs on sex, race and Popeye

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghWang is back with a new no-messing, harder-nosed attitude, along with excellent jokes including some choice one-linersPhil Wang made a little piece of fringe history this year before the festival even began, when he sold o…

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Stage invaders: why indie musicians are rocking up at the Edinburgh fringe

Members of the Hoosiers, Maxïmo Park, Belle & Sebastian and Shed Seven talk about mental health, the pitfalls of the music biz and why they are swapping gigs for theatre audiencesFelix Scoot and Lee Delamere, from one-time chart-toppers Felix &…

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Sara Barron: Enemies Closer review – brassy, sassy standup

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghParading her sex life, friendships and militant subjectivity, the triumphantly profane comedian takes a step into the big leagueThe men have gone sensitive, it’s been said of this year’s fringe comedy – while female standu…

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Tom Rosenthal: Manhood review – dick jokes, demons and diatribes

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThe standup, who was circumcised as an infant, gets het up in a show where the polemic overshadows the comedyDick jokes are as old as comedy, but few – Richard Herring with docu-comedy Talking Cock excepted – dedicate whol…

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The beat goes on: drummers crash the Edinburgh fringe

A trio of performances – Daniel Bellus in Beat, Alexander Fox in Snare and Mick Berry’s Keith Moon: The Real Me – put drums centre stage It must be something to do with being at the back all the time, but give a drummer their moment in the spotlight an…

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Tom Parry: Parryoke! review – bringer of comfort and joy

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThe best newcomer nominee of 2015 returns with a look at the funny side of weddings in this smart and satisfying showThat title, “Parryoke!”: the pun, the exclamation mark, the reference to karaoke. I must admit I went int…

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Anna and Helen review – self-care klutzes conjure comedic bliss

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghMining the comedy of motivational seminars with a delectably clownish touch, this double act could make anything funnySelf-help and motivational speaking have provided rich pickings for comedy over the years, and do so aga…

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‘Whenever you have sex, it’s on your mind’: Tom Rosenthal on turning circumcision into comedy

The procedure left the comedian with sexual anxiety – and a tell-all show at the Edinburgh festivalJournalistic etiquette decrees that any delicate questions are usually saved until near the end of an interview. That doesn’t apply, however, when you ar…

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Did you hear the one about the comedians sharing a flat at Edinburgh festival?

Performing at the fringe can cost a fortune – little wonder so many comics bunk in together. We drop in on Jon Richardson, Rose Matafeo and Josie Long, among others, to see how they liveIt is the world’s biggest comedy festival, with jokes cracked all …

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Edinburgh festival 2019: the 10 best jokes

From Chic’s ‘free cow’ to the perils of free-range chicken … the funniest gags so far from this year’s standupsSteff Todd: My new boyfriend told me he’s got my face as his wallpaper, which I thought was cute until I saw his lounge.Steff Todd: Reality…

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