A clown-therapy show that takes place in the middle of the night. A hymn to British multiculturalism. And a show at risk of imminent interruption by the birth of the performer’s first child. An eye-catching list of nominees has been announced for the 2023 Edinburgh comedy awards, the most prestigious prize in live comedy. In a more open field than ever, when – very unusually – none of the previous year’s nominees returned to the fringe with full shows, the favourite is the Estonian clown Julia Masli with her show ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
The diversity of the shortlist extends beyond Masli, however, to include Lebanese-American comic Janine Harouni, a previous best newcomer nominee, performing her show Man’oushe while heavily pregnant. Also included, Ahir Shah’s fantastic show Ends, about race, Britain and Shah’s grandfather’s migration to the UK in 1964; Two Doors Down star Kieran Hodgson’s crowd-pleasing and -teasing set about moving to Scotland; and former bouncer (and 2022 best newcomer nominee) Emmanuel Sonubi with a show about his crazy-paved employment history. Rackety veteran Phil Ellis, fall-guy Ian Smith with his show Crushing and Ania Magliano with a strong hour about her recovery from, er, a bad haircut make up the eight-strong list.
