by ⭐⭐⭐½
“Underneath these clothes I’m sexy I swear!”
Sure, in the Pleasance bunkers this Fringe she may be dressing like a parkour boy, or “the Haim sister they keep locked up in the basement,” but you’ve seen Ele McKenzie in the limelight on the Northern Irish sitcom, Funboys, as the love interest to two of the aforementioned boys. In real life, she has moved back home with a break-up to ponder and a love life to recollect.
She admits that her own mother wonders what McKenzie is doing spending so much of her time and money on this, her debut Fringe hour. What life experience does she have to show for herself at this young age?
But there are enough odd moments of delight, whether it’s humming, meowing, or from Pikachu. And who would expect a Bob Dylan fantasy to bring it all together, grubby fingers and all?
McKenzie may have seen herself hidden in the shadows of her fraternal twin brother, with him more popular in school and more successful after school working in fintech. But that may change soon enough if McKenzie keeps on collecting life experiences to talk about.
Ele McKenzie: Bringing It All Back Home plays Bunker Two at Pleasance Courtyard during the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe.
