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 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, 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 ReadingAssembly 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 ReadingMakeshift 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 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 ReadingPleasance 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 …
Continue ReadingHaving built his reputation as a comic and podcaster on his candour about anxiety and addiction, Robins is facing a new comedy challenge – happiness‘There is no greater sorrow,” as Dante had it, “than to recall happiness in times of misery.” If the con…
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