Chris Grace as Scarlett Johansson review – feverishly funny sendup

Assembly George Square, EdinburghGrace stars as the Black Widow actor to poke fun at cross-racial casting, in an intricate takedown of fixed identity that will leave your mind buzzing‘An actor can do anything they want – as long as they mean well when …

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Chris Grace as Scarlett Johansson review – feverishly funny sendup

Assembly George Square, EdinburghGrace stars as the Black Widow actor to poke fun at cross-racial casting, in an intricate takedown of fixed identity that will leave your mind buzzing‘An actor can do anything they want – as long as they mean well when …

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Nova review – female Casanova’s very ordinary escapades

Royal Lyceum, EdinburghObehi Janice’s one-woman show collects her adventures in the dating game but they don’t lead anywhere that interestingObehi Janice had friends at school who, like her, were academic and nerdy. She fancied boys at an early age – a…

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I’m doing the Edinburgh fringe at full-term pregnancy – and not just because I’d paid the deposit

Pregnancy is a privilege but is also weird, awkward and difficult. The cathartic nature of standup helps us consider the confusion of imminent parenthoodAt the start of the year, when I booked to perform my comedy show at the fringe, I was laughing in …

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Oscar at the Crown review – going Wilde in the nightclub

Assembly George Square Gardens, EdinburghOscar Wilde hides in a bunker on a dystopian dance floor, but while there is much high-energy music there is little dramaWhat would Oscar Wilde be doing if he were alive today? The flamboyant, self-proclaimed he…

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Frankie Thompson and Liv Ello: Body Show review – a total takedown of gendered expectations

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghUsing snippets of pop culture, lip-syncing, video and clowning, the pair craft a rich exploration of eating disorders and gender dysphoriaFrankie Thompson, resplendent in floor-length pink tutu, and Liv Ello, hair slicked …

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Olga Koch: Prawn Cocktail review – a comic in full control of her material

Monkey Barrel, EdinburghUnpicking relationships with swagger and a dash of Hannah Gadsby-esque introspection, the standup seems ready for the big league Olga Koch has turned 30, and – per the opening moments of her show Prawn Cocktail – she loves it. S…

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Fiona Allen: On the Run review – Smack the Pony star’s standup debut

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThough she emerged as 00s comedy royalty, Allen’s show about kicking back against dull domesticity only raises a few smilesHow to calibrate your expectations on approaching Fiona Allen’s new show at the Edinburgh fringe? O…

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Leila Navabi: Composition review – an eloquent, impish standup debut

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghMoving beyond the gag about Rishi Sunak which dragged her into a media storm, Navabi’s first fringe show introduces us to a comic of promiseLeila Navabi underwent a baptism of fire in comedy when, aged only 21, her Radio W…

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Mervyn Stutter: ‘If landlords stay greedy, they will kill the Edinburgh festival’

The comedian, songwriter and actor on how Scotland’s annual arts jamboree has evolved, loathing corporate gigs and his Pick of the Fringe turning 30How did you get into performing?In the 1960s, I slid into folk clubs and came across Billy Connolly and …

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