by ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Lou Wall is one of my favorite powerpoint-based comedians working today, for the way she casually and chaotically edits and produces musical numbers to the beat of her frantic slide presentations.
For this hour, she revisits a viral bit from her previous show and claims to want to tell us the truth about her Facebook Marketplace experience trying to offload a free bed.
For context, here’s the bit.
The truth behind this bit, or any comedian’s routine, is far from routine. And if this Wall truly wants to break the fifth wall, then where does that leave the truth? In the hands of a masterful comedian such as she, it’s dizzyingly fantastic and laugh-out-loud funny. Of course, in the hands of politicians and grifters, confusing us as to what’s real and what’s a put-on is far more sinister, the consequences already so much more dire. Direr? Either way, I can see why Wall and other comedians want to confront their own truths onstage more this year, not only because of the state of the world, but also in comedy. She cites Hasan Minhaj’s “emotional truth” response to his own backlash as but one marker on the spectrum of honesty-to-lying.
By the end, she’ll leave you questioning everything. But in a gasping for air because you cannot stop laughing way (complimentary).
The truth is she is diabolical! Even and especially if I cannot trust her professed love for short kings.
Lou Wall: Breaking the Fifth Wall plays various Edinburgh venues through Aug. 24, 2025.
