The Definitive Guide to Comedy
***** (out of 5) Even playing in the big room, Mark Watson’s run already has begun selling out more than a week in advance. What’s everyone buzzing about? Of course, the 21st century version of the Edinburgh Fringe cannot be experienced without at least a wee bit of Watson. He’s …
***1/2 (out of 5) Caitlin Cook has released two previous musical comedy albums; performed and produced comedy shows across the United States and the U.K. But this hour takes her to an entirely different level. It places her in a bathroom stall. Conceptually, at least. With a toilet sitting center …
*** (out of 5) Last year, Farah proved to be a hit at the scaled-down Fringe. Her show, “Ellipsis,” landed on Chortle’s top 10 shows of 2021. Now the British-Lebanese comedian has returned with her first hour of stand-up, in which she’s manifesting, but not quite in the mood for …
***1/2 (out of 5) Morgan Jay told the audience that I sat in with Sunday that he’d have to cut his Fringe run short by a week. Good news, though. He’d booked a new commitment back in the States. That’s where and how I first became aware of him in …
**1/2 (out of 5) It’s an impressive sight to behold, walking into the third-floor debating hall of the Gilded Balloon’s Teviot building. Seeing Andrew Maxwell, multiple nominee for past prizes at the Fringe, standing behind a giant screen displaying a volcano. Whenever he blurts out “Krakatoa,” there’s a thunderous sound, …
**** (out of 5) “Are straight men OK?” It’s a valid question for Rhys Nicholson to ask, or for anyone paying attention to the news inside or outside of comedy these days. Nicholson’s newest hour, which won Most Outstanding Show earlier this year at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, worries …
***1/2 (out of 5) A nominee for Best Newcomer to the Fringe in 2018, expat Sara Barron has returned to Edinburgh with a cracking new hour. Even after a full decade living, working and starting a family in Britain, Barron concedes that she’s still easily described as having “American energy.” …
**** (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 …
