The Definitive Guide to Comedy
*** 1/2 (out of 5) Matt Goldich is dry, droll and self-aware. It’s evident even in the title for his Fringe debut, which he also tells us marks his first performances outside the United States. So Goldich can mock himself further for his naivete, not knowing about poster marketing photos …
**** (out of 5) I first saw Emmanuel Sonubi at a Fringe 2022 preview showcase put on by Underbelly, where he told jokes about trying to keep up with current slang. Didn’t think much about it at the time, as I spent a week in Edinburgh last year and only …
*** 1/2 (out of 5) “Who’s going whimsy at this hour? I am!” So declares Paul F. Taylor shortly before midnight in the basement of Monkey Barrel 2. Absurdity may be better appreciated at such a late hour, but Taylor also delves into some very heartfelt bits about his daughter. …
*** 1/2 (out of 5) Sometimes the buzz is a bit much? Sometimes it’s better to experience a debut without any expectations. Because I’d heard plenty of talk beforehand about newcomer John Tothill, from whispers of potential nominations to a testimonial from the stagehand who scanned my QR code that …
**** (out of 5) Kieran Hodgson has written a love letter to Scotland, a big sloppy love letter so Scottish and Gaelic that there’s a big screen alongside the stage providing live closed captioning. He’s a three-time nominee at the Fringe’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards, and nobody would be surprised if …
*** 1/2 (out of 5) “People forget that you can like boy’s stuff, and also boy’s stuff.” So it is that Emily Walsh has grown up from a tomboy into a Dad Girl who has a husband who’s nice and friendly. Her husband also has become baby crazy. Which presents …
*** 1/2 (out of 5) On the one hand, Sophie Zucker might be both deft and daft by turning an extremely embarrassing hookup into a one-woman musical romcom?! On the other hand, Zucker’s also selling herself short. She’s already much more than just an actress with one line in the …
**** (out of 5) In her official 2023 Fringe show description, Alice Fraser says: “The moment you think you’ve got a handle on things, life throws you a twist.” I’m not going to tell you her latest twist, but the previous twists included the pandemic and her becoming a mother. …
**** (out of 5) If, even after all of these years, you still question why Pierre Novellie has a French first name, even though his last name is Italian and his heritage spans from South Africa to the Isle of Man, well the comedian still will entertain you with the …
**** (out of 5) for the show ** 1/2 for the venue This is a four-star show in a two-and-a-half-star venue. Sometimes the room really can undermine and upstage the act. It means more work for the crowd to get into and stay in a proper mood. More work for …
