The Definitive Guide to Comedy
**** (out of 5) How do you translate social media stardom into onstage brilliance? That’s something Linda Hollywood could teach you. In this case, it’s Kylie Brakeman doing the honors. Brakeman birthed the Linda Hollywood character during the pandemic last year, and this summer has built an entire show and …
***1/2 (out of 5) Laura Davis is thrilled to be back at the Fringe, even if she’s no longer a current visa holder to live in the U.K. She gave that up during the pandemic, which found her temporarily stranded. Davis had just begun a global tour in March 2020, …
****1/2 (out of 5) The idea of chasing fame feels all too familiar for young women Wilson’s age, at the bridge between Millennial and Gen Z, grew up with social media and YouTube, the first age group to actively seek out and obsess over broadcasting every minutia of their daily …
***** (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.” …
