COMEDY

ANDREW DOYLE: EXODUS

Pleasance Courtyard – Above

August 19-25th – 10:30pm

 Five Stars

As Andrew Doyle takes to the stage at the Pleasance Above venue, there seems to be a more serious tone to his demeanor. Wearing a smart suit jacket and shirt combo (although he promises this was a Debenhams outfit), he strides to the microphone with a purpose. Andrew Doyle has some things to say and, in some cases, to clarify.

The past few years have been controversial to say the least for this stand-up. His first Edinburgh show in two years, this break in the spotlight has seen him writing for internet sensation Jonathan Pie, founding a free-speech comedy night in London and creating Titania McGrath, a satirical Twitter account that mocks certain parts of the liberal left. However, tonight is Andrew Doyle as himself: unfiltered, straight talking and unapologetically honest.

Gauging the room in the form of a show of hands, he works out that about 50% are left wing, 30% are right wing (a scarily fast hand shot up in the front row directly in front of Doyle when asked) and the other 20% being centrists. Doyle is himself left-wing (often mistaken as a right-wing comic in the media), so it is nice to see his willingness to include everyone, no matter their political belief. After some interesting comments regarding a former Tory MP, there were a few people who decided the show wasn’t for them, a shame but also unsurprising. This didn’t seem to bother Doyle and in fact he recovered remarkably well, segueing directly to his next routine with absolute ease.

Andrew Doyle is funny throughout his show, and his frustrated and increasingly irate persona (in addition to his increasingly empty wine bottle) is a sight to behold. This is a man who is very open about the fact that he voted Leave and is happy to give reasons why. It’s powerful and somewhat refreshing to hear.

The show overall is an astute hour of political comedy – well written and with a focus on just how much ‘woke’ culture has an impact on mainstream culture. Are they now simply one and the same?

The show garnered a few exits, but also a standing ovation from several audience members. Certainly one of the more polarising shows of the Fringe, but one of the most enjoyable.

COMEDY, CABARET

AN AUDIENCE WITH YASMINE DAY

Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker Two

August 1-25th (not 13th, 20th)

Four stars

In a lot of the shows that I’ve seen as a reviewer, I seemed to have been picked on: Titania McGrath, Alice Fraser, Garry Starr (pretty much all of the audience got included in his show, so maybe that doesn’t count). It’s strange.

However, as Yasmine Day spotted me, extended her finger and began to slowly walk towards me, I was nervous. An 80s comparison was coming. Who could I remind her of? David Bowie? Elton John? Madonna even?

No.

Roland Rat.

Luckily the rest of the show made up for this.

Eighties pop sensation Yasmine Day (played by the very talented Jay Bennett) takes to the stage and recreates a Bonnie Tyler video with her two backup dancers in a hilariously amateur way – a perfect start to the show. We see for ourselves that this washed up character is floundering and struggling to keep up with other artists in the music business nowadays. From there (and post-Roland Rat) we learn that Yasmine Day is performing some of her greatest hits for a selected audience of celebrity friends, including such classics as “L O V Spells Love” and my personal favourite “Eternal Flame”, however, just singing the vowels. She has an absolutely spectacular voice, one that could, and should, be filling a much larger room.

There are some points in the show that went on for longer than they should have (maybe Kim Wilde just didn’t want to be found?) However, the final set piece of Yasmine’s own musical, incredibly similar to her own life story, was a treat to see.

Any child of the 80s will absolutely love this, any fan of character comedy will love this. Fans of Cheryl Baker? I’d think twice…

COMEDY

LAURA LEXX: KNEE JERK

August 1-25th – 5:15pm

Gilded Balloon Teviot: Turret

 Four Stars

Laura Lexx bounces on to the stage at Gilded Balloon, performing her second show of the day. She warns the audience beforehand that she’s performed the exact same show about an hour ago, and to stop her if she starts talking nonsense. Luckily, she delivers this extra show with just as much gusto as if performing it for the first time.

Lexx’s character is an interesting one to behold. Someone who talks freely about her very personal issues on stage, weaves them into her comedy and makes everyone laugh, all without making anyone feel awkward. We hear about her political leanings, her thoughts on Brexit (or ‘Inverness’ as it was referred to in this particular show) and, most interestingly, her therapy sessions.

What is most charming about the show is that Lexx appears to put a lot trust in her audience by letting us into her world, describing her therapy techniques that she finds most useful. As an example she lets us know her superficial fear for being late for a train and takes us back to the root of that particular problem and explores it in more depth. She cleverly applies this technique to create routines looking into the intricacies regarding LGBT issues with a focus on transgender rights and the male and female divide.

A final routine regarding the root of the problem in relation to the sexes does seem to carry on for a little longer than was needed to get the point across. Apart from this, the show was engaging and enjoyable, fronted by a comedian who seemed genuinely keen to entertain. It isn’t surprising to me that she’s playing extra shows to sold out crowds.

COMEDY

JENA FRIEDMAN: MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE

Assembly George Square Studios – Studio Five

August 1-25th – 9:20pm

Five Stars

This was my first time seeing a full hour of Jena Friedman’s stand-up. She had been a guest on The Guilty Feminist podcast this year and, having listened to her five-minute set, I was hooked.

Friedman walks on stage and immediately gets down to business, talking all things from the NRA (although, not the initialism I was expecting) and Trump to the struggles of being a woman in America today. However, it is clear that underneath the humour, Friedman’s show has an important liberal message which shines through.

As the show progresses, it becomes apparent that Jena Friedman herself is a terrific writer of comedy (her credits already include writing for David Letterman’s late-night show and also working on “The Daily Show”). She knows how to structure jokes, she knows where the laughs come from and has terrific comic timing. The highlight of the show was her material on abortion, both brilliant and brutal. It was at this point in the show where an audible gasp of “Jesus!” was heard from an unprepared audience member. Friedman’s response of “Oh, we’ll get to him later!” made the moment even more memorable.

The element that really works about the show is Friedman herself. Her decorous demeanour as she takes to the stage juxtaposed with the ruthless realities of much of her material is something that took me a moment to get used to. However, after a few minutes, I was more than happy to go along for this wild ride. This is an hour of comedy I won’t forget any time soon.

COMEDY

MYRA DUBOIS: DEAD FUNNY

Underbelly Bristo Square: Buttercup

August 1-25th (not 22nd, 23rd) – 3:55pm

 Three Stars

Myra Dubois is quite a character. She is quick witted, charismatic and brings her own unique charm to each audience she comes into contact with.

It was frustrating then that I left this year’s show feeling a little…underwhelmed.

As I enter the Buttercup venue, it is filled to capacity. An instrumental version of “I Know Him So Well” plays as a tribute to Myra is shown on the multimedia screen: “Goodbye Yorkshire’s Rose”, it states. Myra bursts out to the stage, thankfully alive, and greets her audience to humungous cheering.

Her crowd work is second to none, and she tears the audience to pieces with absolute ease, all in classic tongue-in-cheek style. Her improvisation is what works the best in this show. It is the structure of the whole show that lets it down somewhat. Myra is keen for the show to be all about her, as she lets us know in acerbic style at the beginning of the show. She has decided that a funeral setting is the best way for all the attention to come her way. However as the narrative of the show progresses, this theory seems to unwind.

The character of Myra is unapologetically selfish, and this is one of the best things about her. However, the introduction of other characters in her life, her sister and mother, take away from this attention that Myra so desperately wants for herself. Myra’s persona is too selfish, loud and brash for me to care about these other people. I began to find myself becoming detached as an audience member later on in the show, when Myra calls her sister on Skype. The jokes are there and the jokes are funny, I just wasn’t interested in any potential feeling I should have had for anybody but Myra. Too much of the show has a narrative that, in the end, didn’t thrill me.

Despite these criticisms, the show remains enjoyable. Myra Dubois can fill a room and keep an audience laughing for a full hour, non-stop. That is something that takes talent.