Fringe
There’s a lot of comics on the Fringe talking about not having any money. And it’s true, the cost of living is affecting all of us. Tamsyn Kelly, who first came to the Fringe as part of the Best in Class programme, is pretty upfront about the particular financial obstacles she has faced.
This is her comedy origin story, which takes in drama school scholarship, tap dancing classes, flirting with OnlyFans and growing up poor. The lure of the Blue Peter badge is a big motif in this show.
Alfie Brown is smart enough to know what the inherent problem is with his latest show. In 2024 he delivered a groundbreaking tour de force, Open Hearted Human Enquiry, which tackled family bereavement and being cancelled when old texts were unearthed and taken out of context. Follow that. As he says himself at the start, "I've had my coming out party, now I'm just gay."
His response is The Entertainer (Underbelly, four stars).
Comedians can't resist the lure of the Edinburgh Fringe. Just as they are out they get pulled back in. Whether it's for the money, the acclaim or just getting a warm hand on their entrance a number of previous Edinburgh Comedy Award winners are back this year. Over the last couple of days, almost by accident, I realised I'd seen four previous award winners.
Ania Magliano (Monkey Barrel, five stars) has the full set. She has been on Taskmaster, she is one of the breakout stars of SNL UK and now she has a superb stand-up show under her belt (although, I should add, her previous shows have all been pretty good). In Peach Fuzz she explores body image, in particular her own body image.
The longlists have been announced for The List’s Edinburgh Festival Awards. For the third year, The List Festival Awards will recognise achievements spanning visual art, literature, film, theatre, comedy, dance and cabaret. The incredible line-up of artists and works highlighted in the longlists showcases the strong quality and power of work on offer in Edinburgh during August.
Meka Mo is a stand-up and podcast host with a growing reputation on the international comedy scene. Named a Comic to Watch by the New York Comedy Festival, she has earned acclaim for her fearless stage presence, sharp storytelling, and culturally attuned perspective. She won Best of Fest at the Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest and the Sandy Gunar Award at the Jersey City Comedy Festival. She has opened for Michael Che and appeared on HBO’s Game Theory with Bomani Jones.
Phil Ellis's show Bath Mat (Monkey Barrel, four stars) must have the longest musical intro in the history of the Edinburgh Fringe. At one point I thought the theme from Titanic was going to be the entire show. It certainly goes on a bit before Ellis pops his head through the curtains, Eric Morecambe-style to begin the show for real. Can the rest of his hour sustain this surreal start? No problem.
Abby Govindan (pictured with hands on her ears) is very much a rising star in America and you can see why from her striking debut at the Edinburgh Fringe (Pleasance Courtyard, four stars). In Pushing 30 she tackles a wide range of riffs from the inevitable pressure from her South Asian parents to settle down to an account of how she accidentally landed a credit for writing Emily In Paris.
I don't know what Rob Auton has ever done to upset the Edinburgh Comedy Award judges but I've always found his Fringe shows to be some of the shows that have stayed longest in the memory. Sadly I've not been on the panel in the last few years so have had little influence in getting him shortlisted.
But maybe, just maybe, 2026 will be his year.
Emmy & Golden Globe Award Winner Guy Branum makes his Edinburgh Fringe debut with his show ‘Be Fruitful’ at the Gilded Balloon Teviot Billiard Room for the entire Festival. Guy’s video series What the Old Gays Remember, where he analyses iconic moments in pop and queer-coded culture, has racked up over 16 million views across Instagram and TikTok.
Pages
Zircon - This is a contributing Drupal Theme
Design by
WeebPal.
