by ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
In her biggest, most ambitious show yet, Olga Koch time travels. Figuratively.
Koch uses the large stage at Pleasance Courtyard’s Forth to display dates, court citations, funny asides and mood lighting to tell her “one good story” that’s not really about her. It’s about her fateful encounter with a guy who looks kinda sorta like a very famous actor. Koch time jumps back to the 1970s to discuss landmark gender discrimination cases in the United States, to the 2010s to relive her own experiences with toxic masculinity as a college student in New York City, and to now, when she really wishes her time machine could work practically. Koch is at her funniest, most poignant and most polished.
And that’s saying something, considering the night I attended, we were treated to Koch’s “directors commentary” “inner monologue” edition, which wasn’t necessarily why this show started and ended late, but the bonus riffing made it even more worth the delays.
Olga Koch: Fat Tom Cruise plays Forth at Pleasance Courtyard during the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe.
