The Definitive Guide to Comedy
***** (out of 5) After a sold-out run of her debut show Gutterplum in 2019, Los Angeles clown Courtney Pauroso returns with an all-new production as a sex robot named Vanessa 5000 that’ll reveal more than you could possibly imagine. Her timing couldn’t be more auspicious, thanks to the new …
***1/2 (out of 5) Chloe Radcliffe describes her Edinburgh Fringe debut as “a one-woman show, but a 29-man show.” Or as she also says (which you can read in the show description), she is a serial monogamist who’s very bad at one of those words. But why has she cheated …
**** (out of 5) I like Ike. Of course, I never met Dwight D Eisenhower. But any president who not only predicted but warned against the rising military industrial complex is good in my book. Now I have met Ikechukwu Ufomadu, writer for Showtime’s Ziwe, and writer/performer for Stephen Colbert …
**** (out of 5) Rob Auton is here, once more, for the human experience. After nine previous Fringe runs, which Auton helpfully brings audiences up to speed on in his opening minutes, he has focused on themes with The Yellow Show, The Sleep Show, The Talk Show, The Hair Show, …
****1/2 (out of 5) Hearing John Williams music beforehand certainly enhances the vibe, preparing audience members in this converted classroom setting as they’re about to be taken to improv school. Normally, this talk show is funny enough as it is, what with George Lucas (Connor Ratliff) presiding over the discussions …
**** (out of 5) In 1991, Frank Skinner won the top prize at the Edinburgh Fringe (then known as the Perrier Award), beating out Eddie Izzard, Lily Savage and Jack Dee. Three decades later (plus a year or two for the pandemic), and Skinner has since earned his MBE. And …
I got a note from a reader earlier this year wondering why they couldn’t find any recent stand-up comedy reviews on this site. The short, easy answer: I’ve been busy writing reviews for Decider! I did file a bunch of reviews here in August from the Edinburgh Fringe, where I …
**** (out of 5) This is unlike any clown show I’ve ever seen. Because it’s not exactly clowning. More like buffoonery. There’s a whole lotta buffoonery going on in the small cavern above a meat restaurant on Cowgate after midnight. I still don’t know exactly who or what Mr. Chonkers …
**** (out of 5) Jeremy Elder, Cory Peter Lane, and Hunter Saling have been here before, making their Fringe debut in 2019. Which means this sketch comedy trio from Los Angeles can pack even brighter local UK references into their tightly-packed, fast-paced scenes. Despite possessing individually unique hairstyles and outfits, …
**** (out of 5) The popular podcaster, improviser and storyteller makes his return to the Fringe for the first time in six years. If you haven’t seen him in while, you’ll quickly notice something different about him. The beard, obviously. His midlife crisis, not as noticeable. But Gethard claims that …
