The Definitive Guide to Comedy
**** (out of 5) There’s a wristwatch onstage, but it’s only correct twice a day (it’s stopped). But time plays a crucial element both in Alice Fraser’s new show, as well as your potential enjoyment of it. Ostensibly a show about writing a show, “Chronos” recounts a train ride Fraser …
*** (out of 5) Americans like me first caught a glimpse of Paul Foot some 14 summers ago, courtesy of Season 6 of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. Foot made it to the final 12 (Iliza Shlesinger won that year). So I was a bit curious to see what he’s up …
**** (out of 5) Don’t let the bowl cut fool you. Atsuko Okatsuka doesn’t think of herself as cool, and definitely not cool under pressure. A simple query from a teen-ager can make her crumble. So how could she ever hope to cope if there were an actual intruder in …
**** (out of 5) You’ll likely never see a comedian take to the stage quite like John-Luke Roberts does in his 2022 Fringe show. The title also doubles as a recurring set-up (not a catchphrase, I repeat, not a catchphrase). “There’s a world just like our own, but…” is not …
****1/2 (out of 5) Get ready to see Randy Feltface as you’ve never seen him before. And if looking at him is too much for you, just take his suggestion: “Close your eyes and pretend I’m a podcast.” The purple puppet from Down Under is back at the Fringe for …
**** (out of 5) Zach Zucker is wearing many hats at the Fringe. Zucker’s production company, Stamptown, is helping run multiple shows in Edinburgh this month. He’s hosting a late-night variety showcase (Stamptown Comedy Night) over the next three weekends, in addition to performing as one of the world’s worst …
**** (out of 5) Titus, the FOX sitcom based on the life and stand-up comedy of Christopher Titus, went off the air 20 years ago this week. Perhaps not the first Yank you’d figure to be making his Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2022, but then perhaps you don’t know much …
Comedy doesn’t have a Human Resources department, so leave it to The Comic’s Comic to dole out honors and/or discipline accordingly. Our Employee of the Month for July 2022 is Janelle James. Congrats Janelle! NOTE: This is a feature I introduced on my Substack, Piffany, in 2021, and have transferred over to …
****1/2 (out of 5) Sometimes it’s best to just take a recommendation from a Fringe performer and see someone else’s show sight unseen, without looking up any of the program descriptions, interviews or previous reviews. That’s how I found myself in The Box late Thursday night, discovering Jordan Gray for …
*** (out of 5) Will Duggan is angry. Angry that the world might be ending in his lifetime. Angry that his talents might not have much practical use in a post-apocalyptic society. Angry at little things such as his first given name, his misadventures auditioning for adverts, and his not-so …
