Coming-out tales, ventriloquism, a musical set in a public loo and glamorous late-night cabaret are among the festival’s uplifting LGBTQ+ showsNo one ever pays attention when you’re handed a flyer at the fringe. It’s only when I take a proper look that…
Continue ReadingComedian ‘blooming chuffed’ as she becomes the second woman to win the award in its 14 yearsA one-liner described by its author as “stupid” has topped the poll for best joke of the Edinburgh fringe.Lorna Rose Treen was voted winner of the annual compet…
Continue ReadingWalkout by authors over fossil fuel links plus controversies about identity, racism and sexism are hot topics at politically charged eventWhen Jessica Gaitán Johannesson led a mass walkout at an Edinburgh book festival event last weekend, she told the …
Continue ReadingA dazzling drama about women slipping the surly bonds of male-dominated Nasa joins Essex poetry, New York silliness and Lorna Rose Treen’s laugh-fest as second-week treatsI first encountered the poet Luke Wright a decade ago, when I lived in Oxford and…
Continue ReadingPhotographer Murdo MacLeod captures an eye-catching array of comedy, dance and theatre shows as the arts spectacular continues Continue reading…
Continue ReadingPleasance 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 ReadingMonkey 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 ReadingComedians 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 ReadingPleasance 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 ReadingLeith Arches cancelled scriptwriter’s comedy show after complaints from customersThe scriptwriter Graham Linehan is considering legal action against the Edinburgh venue that cancelled his comedy show after complaints from customers.On Tuesday morning L…
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