Edinburgh festival 2023: polar bears, sex robots and ghosts – in pictures
Photographer Murdo MacLeod captures an eye-catching array of comedy, dance and theatre shows as the arts spectacular continues Continue reading…
Continue ReadingTag: Edinburgh festival
Courtney Pauroso: Vanessa 5000 review – a sex robot seeks human contact
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghPauroso is an astonishing performer who teases the crowd but her show raises more questions than there’s time to fully exploreVanessa 5000, the creation of seasoned LA clown Courtney Pauroso, is giving us a demo of her man…
Continue ReadingLorna Rose Treen: Skin Pigeon review – dolphins, vamps and Brownies join dotty parade
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghFrom a nine-year-old misfit to Sally Rooney writing a children’s book, Treen’s characters are pitched at a sharp angle to the real worldFunny Women winner 2022. Chortle’s best newcomer. Lorna Rose Treen has amassed a few a…
Continue ReadingDan Tiernan: Going Under review – furious fun
Monkey Barrel Comedy, EdinburghSome gags are queasy and others are thrillingly bleak from the Mancunian comic whose outbursts are often directed at himselfThis cramped space at the back of the Monkey Barrel is where Rob Kemp confined us all with his ch…
Continue Reading‘It’s like a cult’ … the Edinburgh fringe acts willing audiences to take part
Comedians at the festival are enlisting volunteers to join in their acts, creating a warm, inclusive and fun spaceAs I cross the threshold of US comedian Moses Storm’s Edinburgh fringe show, I’m handed a white coat. Now part of an identically dressed c…
Continue ReadingAmusements by Ikechukwu Ufomadu review – inscrutably cool anti-comedy
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghAssuming the guise of ‘an old-school entertainment type’, this fringe debutant is hypnotically unusualThe fashion is for fringe newcomers to deliver solo shows all about themselves: potted autobiographies big on identity a…
Continue ReadingEd Byrne: Tragedy Plus Time review – grief, regret and lots of laughter
Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh In an affecting set, the comic reflects on his younger brother’s death and the importance of holding loved ones closeIt is said that comedy is tragedy plus time – and it’s taken Ed Byrne time to address the death last year of …
Continue ReadingGraham Linehan show staged outside Scottish parliament after second venue cancels
Makeshift outdoor show held after two venues cancel booking of comedian known for his gender-critical beliefsA comedy event featuring Father Ted creator Graham Linehan was staged in the open air outside the Scottish parliament on Thursday evening, afte…
Continue ReadingJodie Mitchell: Becoming John Travulva review – skilful weaving of drag, standup and storytelling
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghIdentity politics are deftly and hilariously tackled, with the help of a diamante-studded sporran, in a compelling showJodie Mitchell’s debut hour in some ways sticks to the mould of artist origin story. But in this show, …
Continue ReadingTadiwa Mahlunge: Inhibition Exhibition review – an impressive debut
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThe standup delivers an energetic set about trying to live up to his parents’ expectations and the ethics of his corporate day job“I am unhinged!” There’s nervous energy to burn in Tadiwa Mahlunge’s show, which traces the …
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