The Definitive Guide to Comedy
Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland met in high school in Maryland and have been making magical two-handed theater shows ever since. Now based in New York City, they have taken three shows to the Edinburgh Fringe since 2022, winning The Scotsman’s Fringe First Awards for writing for each of them: …
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Uh oh! Don’t ask why Daniel Maseda is dressed in a brown cardigan and named Paulette. Best not to ask any questions of this American’s clown show. Better still to sit still and exchange whatever pleasantries Paulette decides to share with you. We’re all just trying to make sense …
⭐⭐⭐⭐½ Lorna Rose Treen was one of my favorite newcomers at the 2023 Fringe, and she has made a triumphant return with her sophomore show, upping the ante, the antics, and the anticipatory delight for what might come next. But first, we’re treated to a showcase shining a light on …
⭐⭐⭐½ This could and should be a 4-star review and perhaps is on a lot of days, but my audience simply wasn’t up to the task Jeromaia Detto assigned us. That’s not his fault. But it is a particular risk in fashioning a clown show where so much responsibility is …
⭐⭐⭐⭐ An actress and improviser from Adelaide, Sophie Power disappears beneath the bouffon layers that transform her into a ginormous genitalia. After winning awards at Fringes in her native Australia, Power has brought her buffoonery to Edinburgh, where her high-energy antics make a perfect fit for the late-night atmosphere in …
⭐⭐⭐⭐½ Tobias Finlay-Frasier is ready for his close up. Even if the mere sight of Tobias entering the room for his audition is enough to make any casting director sigh audibly and loudly. But something about this audition feels different from the start. It’s not just that Tobias came prepared …
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The first of three consecutive Fringe First award-winning productions from Xhloe Rice and Natasha Rowland is both their most purely clownish hour, and also their most meta. Xhloe and Natasha excel in intricately-choreographed stagecraft. It’s absurdist buffoonery, with balletic grace. And for their most absurd idea yet, they’re mounting …
Kelly McCaughan is an actor, writer, comedian and clown whose show, Catholic Guilt, was nominated for Best Newcomer by the 2023 ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards, and then brought back the following Fringe, where her show received a Best Show nomination from the 2024 ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Originally from outside …
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Lara Ricote, the 2022 Best Newcomer, has returned to the Fringe with a new hour exploring her relationship issues, whether it’s the unique one she fosters with each audience, or the uniquely weird one she has with her Argentinian boyfriend, who moved to the Netherlands to be with Ricote, …
⭐⭐⭐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 …
