The Definitive Guide to Comedy
⭐⭐⭐ Why would you go to Botswana when Brixton is right around the corner? That’s just one question Njambi McGrath has for kids on their gap year. In this hour, McGrath has lots of questions for Africa’s once-and-former colonisers. “You want to give everything to Africans except visas.” McGrath notes …
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Judging by the reaction she has gotten at Fringe, Riki Lindhome’s comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates successfully crossed the pond during their heyday a decade ago. Lindhome also could have fans who’d seen her in any number of popular onscreen projects; among them, Big Bang Theory, Knives Out and …
⭐⭐⭐½ Nominated for Best Show earlier this year at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Ray O’Leary is still dressing for the awful office job he used to have. His look may not belie his low-energy wisdom, but you might not expect someone who looks like an accountant to have studied …
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Catherine Cohen took the 2019 Fringe by storm and returned back to the States with a Best Newcomer trophy, and turned that award-winning cabaret show into her debut Netflix special. Cohen meant to return to Fringe last summer, but had to cancel when she discovered she’d suffered a stroke …
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Katie Green grew up in Southern California with a Salvadoran grandmother and a British grandfather. Which can make for great comedy. But also for tragically horrifying reviews of her grandfather’s fish-and-chips chop in California. The crux of Green’s debut hour at the Fringe is how she missed out on …
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Marj felt like a revelation when I first saw her perform at last year’s Fringe. Robertson brings her Shetland roots and mythology with her to the mainland every time, and this time around, she has circled back to one of the darkest periods of her life. She had thought …
⭐⭐⭐½ Colin Hoult has received acclaim and Edinburgh prestige as a Best Show nominee in 2022 for his portrayal of eccentric actress Anna Mann, but who is Colin Hoult, exactly? “He’s not right,” his family might say. This hour represents his fan’s chance to get to know the real Colin, …
⭐⭐⭐½ Father Greg Orian just wants to get back into God’s good graces, so he has dedicated himself to the Catholic church, singing his way through a service but also battling his demons. Specifically, one demon who used to date…Satan? Father Greg is really Natasha Mercado in drag, one of …
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Honor Wolff and Patrick Durnan Silva play describe themselves as “annoyingly loud,” but this “shrill white lady” and this “closeted gay Brazilian” have combined forces in Australia to form a powerhouse sketch comedy duo. I’d seen them perform earlier this year in Melbourne, where their crowds were already large …
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Derek Mitchell appeared in an episode of the third season of Ted Lasso, but you more likely have seen Mitchell online through his series of TikTok videos poking fun at the views and lifestyles of the Dutch. Mitchell’s Fringe debut comes complete with two separate shows, but that’s not …
