The Definitive Guide to Comedy
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Weight-loss by injection has become so popular, so fast, it’s really changed the body-positivity game overnight. Irish comedian Alison Spittle feels betrayed by Adele for slimming down, and she’s keeping an eye on Lizzo. At least Spittle still has Shrek to count on as a role model. But if …
⭐⭐⭐⭐½ “I am here because you were there.” In case you’re wondering why a Kuwaiti-born Irish-Palestinian actor and comedian would spend his August in Scotland. Yes. You read that sentence correctly. Sami Abu Wardeh’s father tried to return to Palestine in 1967 to fight to get the family’s land back, …
⭐⭐⭐⭐ An actress and improviser from Adelaide, Sophie Power disappears beneath the bouffon layers that transform her into a ginormous genitalia. After winning awards at Fringes in her native Australia, Power has brought her buffoonery to Edinburgh, where her high-energy antics make a perfect fit for the late-night atmosphere in …
⭐⭐⭐½ Divisive is an understatement. If it helps, go into this show knowing that Alan Resnick is the creator of Adult Swim’s disturbing infomercials, Unedited Footage of a Bear and This House Has People in It, and think of this performance not as “funny” or even “comedy” but as a …
⭐⭐⭐⭐ KC Shornima grew up separated from her parents during the Nepalese Civil War, moved to Egypt at 18 just in time for the Arab Spring, and then at 29 found herself in New York City. What could go wrong? But Shornima has a strong grasp on stand-up comedy, so she …
Grace Helbig is a legendary YouTuber, etched officially into the VidCon Hall of Fame earlier in 2025. The comedian and actress who began documenting her daily life in 2007 through solo videos, two-hander sketches with her college bestie and Brooklyn roomie Michelle, and then DailyGrace on MyDamnChannel, eventually went on …
⭐⭐⭐⭐ “When I get done with this, I don’t want to speak to a 12-year-old,” Desiree Burch says of her life as a stand-up comedian in her 40s. But that’s not her nightmare, where her dreams take her career to middle America, only to find herself booked mistakenly to do …
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Every year, at least since the pandemic, Pleasance Attic has played host to one of the most exciting new voices at the Fringe. Since 2022, they’ve included Celya AB, Lorna Rose Treen, and Abby Wambaugh. This year, it’s Shalaka Kurup who’s providing the must-see hour a few flights of …
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Alasdair Beckett-King could make a whole meal out of the fact that his surname and his show title landed him in Pleasance’s King Dome. But why go through the trouble of all those kingly words when ABK will do quite nicely, thank you very much? ABK may jokingly describe …
⭐⭐⭐⭐ The manic pixie dream girl is out. In? The haram pixie devil lady. Saaniya Abbas is 36 but even without adding the furry cat ears to her hairdo, she looks young and tiny enough for a 14-year-old boy to ask her out. In reality, Abbas says she only started …
