Pleasance Dome, EdinburghThis show about Olesker’s lengthy journey to becoming an Orthodox Jew in order to marry his partner is both elegant and nuanced‘I would do anything for love,” Meat Loaf sang, “but I won’t do that.” Max Olesker would, if his sol…
Continue ReadingSummerhall, Edinburgh An endurance test for a standup already starring in a fringe hit, this show resurrects the man who drilled the first ever cross-Channel swimmer‘Who are these people that do what [the rest of us] cannot?” Adam Riches’ solo play The…
Continue ReadingPleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThis motormouth Australian comic fires off tart remarks and home truths then explains why she over-identifies with the Titanic‘No hugging, no learning” was the writers’ rule on Seinfeld. Jess Fuchs decrees a similar strict…
Continue ReadingPleasance Courtyard, EdinburghWith icky and edgy jokes, the comedian offers an authentic inquiry into her childhood in her sophomore showA standup’s debut show usually tells us who they are, then with their follow-up, they branch out. Kemah Bob has don…
Continue ReadingEdinburgh comedies by Whisper Theatre, Lightning Rod Special and Olaf Falafel are exploring what it’s like to be a dad, from the hilarious and melancholic to the devastatingly accurate cringeIn a historic masonic lodge in Edinburgh’s New Town I find my…
Continue ReadingVoodoo Rooms, Edinburgh Cheka considers her tendency to ‘live life like a joke’ in a frank hour, with her frustrations leaving a lasting impressionKate Cheka wasn’t supposed to be here. After her debut hour two years ago, she swore she would never do t…
Continue ReadingPleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Well-tuned performances help along a familiar set of laughs as a rickety library gets a new manager and an inspectionThe sign says Plumstanton Library but this could be The Brittas Empire’s Whitbury New Town Leisure Centr…
Continue ReadingPleasance Courtyard, EdinburghFrom Jacob Rees-Mogg as a child to Frank Sinatra’s ego in space, this is a wild collage of clowning and performance artThere are plenty of works-in-progress on the fringe. Frankie Thompson insists (or has the voice of Pepp…
Continue ReadingPleasance Courtyard, EdinburghAre they besties, housemates or more than that? Lara Ciulli and Riana White keep the audience guessing in a gripping hour of comedyFifteen years ago in this room, I remember the thrill of encountering Lizzie and Sarah Dayk…
Continue ReadingMonkey Barrel Comedy, EdinburghThe frenetic Mancunian turns to quartz in search of inner peace – but his standup remains as crude and self-loathing as everI’ve seen two prominent comedians on this year’s fringe argue that your belief system is somethin…
Continue Reading