The Definitive Guide to Comedy
*** 1/2 (out of 5) Nominated for Most Outstanding Show at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Laura Davis returns to Edinburgh claiming she had performed this hour down under in full character. She’s keeping the hat and the outfit intact at Fringe, but says she wants to tell this …
*** 1/2 (out of 5) At one point during a routine in which he gets prompts for an obscure series of impersonations, Viggo Venn asks aloud:: “Seriously, how did I win that thing?” That thing was Britain’s Got Talent earlier this year, where the Norwegian clown took home the top …
*** (out of 5) Dahn Rozario’s grandparents took the family out of India apparently because he was feeling the sting of racism for appearing too Anglo due to their lighter skin tone. But as Anglo-Indians in Australia, Rozario said the racism doesn’t stop there. For his Edinburgh debut, he delivers …
*** 1/2 out of 5 The opening of Hannah Camilleri’s character showcase really lollygags, introducing her first to the audience as a mechanic, working on someone’s car, or at least thinking about getting under the hood. Once Camilleri kicks her show into gear, we’re treated to a bit of hybrid …
*** 1/2 (out of 5) Anyone in the stand-up comedy business can testify to receiving that first big laugh or wave of laughter from an audience, and getting hooked on the feeling, and chasing it for the rest of their lives like a drug addiction. Well, Nick Pupo knows exactly …
*** 1/2 (out of 5) “News flash: comedian has mental health problems. That’s a hot take!” But Spencer Jones is properly loopy, with the loop pedal to demonstrate his penchant for singing along with masks, cardboard cutouts and plenty of props. The two-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee has returned to …
**** 1/2 (out of 5) Delightfully demented! In her Edinburgh Fringe debut, Lorna Rose Treen has landed upon some innovative ways to introduce her characters to the audience, as well as ways in which to incorporate audience members into her forays into foolishness. At one point, Treen even leaves a …
**** 1/2 (out of 5) Phil Ellis was the first comedian I saw performing onstage at this year’s Fringe, but watching him MC Chortle’s Fast Fringe and watching him front his own showpiece are two entirely different experiences. For the latter is an absurd romp that really kicks the rest …
**** (out of 5) Ian Smith is crushing at the early hour booked for him in The Tron basement, and he makes a meal of it right from the start, mocking the venue’s own thoughts about its legacy. As for Smith, he comes from the small port town of Goole …
**** (out of 5) You can reframe history or your life to boost your self-esteem, and especially for the sake of comedy. Olga Koch is not only interested in that aspect of her life at age 30, but also how parasocial relationships have become entirely too commonplace now. Especially the …
