The Mequetrefo – 3***

We entered not really knowing what to expect but hopeful; however, The Mequetrefo landed as a mixed bag. Parlapatões offer this fast-paced, minimal spoken-word show in the day-to-day life of four compadres. They start in a makeshift bed, and … Read More

Out of the Box – 5*****

What’s great about this show is how it’s a great cycle of mini-acts: trick shots, expert circus skills, and playful set pieces that bring utter joy. All of this is driven, somehow, by a brilliantly unassuming and sweet non-verbal … Read More

Dancehall Blues 3.5***

Dancehall Blues, directed and choreographed by David Bolger, transports audiences into a surreal dancehall where dreams and nightmares blur. Two performers, through powerful and precise movement, create an atmosphere that is by turns unsettling, hopeful, and deeply human.

The opening … Read More

Ayoade Bamgboye: Swings and Roundabouts 4****

An entertaining hour in the company of vibrant and charasmatic Ayoade Bamgboye proves that a comedy show can be both fast-talking and warmly reflective, a blend of interesting anecdotes and playful invention that paints a picture while keeping the audience … Read More

Alex Stringer: Happy Hour 3.5***

Alex Stringer: Happy Hour is proof that stand-up can be tender, mischievous, and deeply entertaining all at once. From the start she’s chatty, comfortable and quick-witted, with smirks and laughter rippling around the room, as she paints vivid pictures of … Read More

Spy Movie: The Play!   4****

Spy Movie: The Play! brings its riotous mix of parody and farce to a packed Pleasance Above, delivering an hour of high-energy laughs and affectionate skewering of classic spy tropes.

The show starts with … Read More

Carl Donnelly – Another Round 4 ½ ****

Carl Donnelly certainly knows how to entertain an audience. He has a vast array of experiences in doing so and boy is that evident.

He has everyone at ease from the get-go, he is achingly funny, full of jokes and … Read More

Anja Atkinson : She Thinks She’s People – 4****

Anja Atkinson doesn’t so much take the stage at The Stand as commandeer it, striding in with the unruly force of someone who has no time for artifice. A Sunderland native with a voice that cuts through the room like … Read More

Matt and George: Legalise Marinara – 4****

It takes guts to throw your own comedy showcase together at the Fringe. But that’s exactly what Matt Macdonald and George Leeson have done, curating an hour of stand-up that doesn’t just hold its own — it occasionally shows up … Read More

Singin’ I’m No a Billy Jr, He’s a Tim Jr – Young Offenders 4****

Before a single line is spoken, the tone is set like a derby day kick-off. Rob McLean and David Tanner appear on screen like Sky Sports pundits, parsing the stats and stakes of the evening ahead. Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s … Read More