The Definitive Guide to Comedy
**** (out of 5) What makes a comedian become a climate change activist in his mid-40s? For Stuart Goldsmith, it’s in part because he’s now a father of two, kids aged 7 and 4. But also, Goldsmith considers himself a problem solver, and a bit of a narc. The ongoing …
**1/2 (out of 5) Soup is comfort food. It’s cheap, easy, and served up just for you and your individual needs. Alison Spittle is not only part of a WhatsApp Soup Group, but also feels she’s soup-worthy enough to determine your personality just on the basis of what type of …
**** (out of 5) Milo Edwards returns to the Fringe this year with a show that deliberately takes on at least one specifically influential comedy critic who described him last summer as displaying “a typical lack of sentimentality.” It wasn’t me. But the two less-than-stellar reviews Edwards did receive decidedly …
***1/2 (out of 5) There’s Martin Urbano the man and comedian. And then there’s “Martin Urbano” on this comeback tour after apologizing for, what now? To be clear, the comedy show you’re seeing at Fringe is a straight-up parody of stand-up comedy, particularly the brand of “edgy” male comedian stubbornly …
**** (out of 5) Eden Sher starred as Sue Heck, the middle child on ABC’s The Middle, for nine seasons and 215 episodes from 2009-2018. A spin-off was even explored for her character afterward. Then the pandemic hit, and Sher unexpectedly found herself expecting identical twins. In a surprisingly emotional …
**** (out of 5) Inside you are two wolves, they say. More like a chimp vs a bonobo, Michelle Brasier says. She brought her more emotionally heavy “Average Bear” show to the Fringe last summer, but this time around, it’s only getting heavy if you’re talking about the bops she …
**** (out of 5) Drew Michael might just have one of the more divisive shows at this year’s Fringe. Which shouldn’t surprise anyone, let alone critics. After all, for his self-titled HBO debut, Michael did away with the audience entirely, which seemed like a much crazier choice pre-pandemic. For his …
*** (out of 5) I cannot tell you yet how well New Jersey translates to old Jersey, the British isle off the coast of France, or to the average festival-goer at Fringe in Edinburgh. What I can tell you is Billy McFarland and Mike Sorrentino achieved just enough worldwide infamy …
**1/2 (out of 5) In Hollywood, sometimes a TV show or movie doesn’t become a hit not because the show or movie itself is bad, but because it’s marketed poorly or the timing is off. This late-night show from Angela Beevers, a Hollywood assistant who while working for Mike Judge …
**** (out of 5) Last year, Chris Turner showed off his improvised comedy freestyle rap skills in a critically-acclaimed Fringe run called “Rap God.” He’ll be on the big stages again in 2024 with another rap showcase. This year, though, Turner has something else in store for audiences in between …
