A shortlist rich in kookiness sees Lara Ricote tipped for the main prize, alongside returning nominees and a new generation of eccentric fringe actsThe shortlist has been announced for the a…
Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh The comedian delivers a tour of his peripatetic childhood, with stops for risque gags and to ponder his resemblance to a ‘porn Super Mario’Comedy fans have…
Pleasance Dome, EdinburghThis show about Olesker’s lengthy journey to becoming an Orthodox Jew in order to marry his partner is both elegant and nuanced‘I would do anything for love,” …
Summerhall, Edinburgh An endurance test for a standup already starring in a fringe hit, this show resurrects the man who drilled the first ever cross-Channel swimmer‘Who are these people t…
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThis motormouth Australian comic fires off tart remarks and home truths then explains why she over-identifies with the Titanic‘No hugging, no learning” was …
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghWith icky and edgy jokes, the comedian offers an authentic inquiry into her childhood in her sophomore showA standup’s debut show usually tells us who they ar…
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghFrom Jacob Rees-Mogg as a child to Frank Sinatra’s ego in space, this is a wild collage of clowning and performance artThere are plenty of works-in-progress o…
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghAre they besties, housemates or more than that? Lara Ciulli and Riana White keep the audience guessing in a gripping hour of comedyFifteen years ago in this roo…
Monkey Barrel Comedy, EdinburghThe frenetic Mancunian turns to quartz in search of inner peace – but his standup remains as crude and self-loathing as everI’ve seen two prominent comedia…
Underbelly, Cowgate, EdinburghAshley Blair and Drew Reilly send up gen Z anomie with hardcore ditties about awkward dinners, megachurches and centaur boyfriends‘How to feel whole in an emp…
Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh Heckling herself in character as the Greek goddess, the standup delivers an intelligent, in-your-face show about sex and expectationsYou can’t argue with the open…
Summerhall, EdinburghIntertwining his diaries with Anne Frank’s gives Brine a tough job, but his passionate performance and force of will combine in a heady brewIt’s a hell of a swing to…
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThis fantastic comic play from the Radio 4 trio unleashes a torrent of great gags and illusionsHorror pastiche has a proud lineage at this festival – for exam…
Assembly George Square, EdinburghThe US comic’s troupe tell the tale of a special guest’s romantic encounter, in this case Travis’s frontman – but their incoherence makes for a scatt…
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghEmotionally open and a little weirder than usual, the Glaswegian comic updates us on his recent marriageWhen SNL UK hit big earlier this year, it made stars of …
Three years ago, he won the Edinburgh comedy award with a work in progress. Now he’s back with a show inspired by Gerard Manley Hopkins and Friedrich Nietzsche. Isn’t this all a bit grow…
Whether Elf Lyons’ high-concept Hollywood throwback, Kate Dehnert’s disorientating rave or Ele McKenzie’s Bob Dylan fantasy, heartbreak fuels fine humour at the festivalBreakups. We’…
Summerhall, EdinburghConnor Dariol, AKA Australian clown Conk, does exactly what he claims – and with such skill and relentless pep we are helpless to resistWhen I saw the title to the Aus…
Monkey Barrel Comedy, EdinburghA show about maturing and learning to listen to life’s signals doesn’t stint on tomfoolery and has some great gagsWhat a rich and enjoyable show this is fr…
Monkey Barrel, EdinburghThere are shades of Vic and Bob as well as Frank Sidebottom when this embittered git with bloodshot eyes holds courtEvery room in Edinburgh has its ghosts, and its pa…
Monkey Barrel, EdinburghThe Saturday Night Live UK writer, who is one-third of the sketch troupe Sheeps, balances sincerity and shtick in a show with big laughsThere are reasons to take up s…
CabVol @ Monkey Barrel, EdinburghA fringe fling is the backbone for a mischievous set with deft jokes and a fresh perspective but some of this material needs another draftAyo Adenekan’s as…
Two Edinburgh fringe shows feature savage send-ups of reviewers. Is this petty revenge or do they have a case? Our writer finds one ‘a hoot’ – and thinks the other let him off lightlyN…
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghAs a half-horse half-woman who dreams of being a unicorn and performing Swan Lake, Schaal sheds little light but has plenty of sparkleFor a happy handful of yea…
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThis one-man comic play, told at breakneck speed and featuring West Side Story-like dance-numbers, is highly entertainingIt’s as if Joseph Morpurgo had never …