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Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd is back at the Edinburgh Fringe where he first broke through. Well, sort of. He has an onscreen cameo in madcap comic Mat Ewins’ ludicrously silly latest show Ewins Some You Lose Some. Ewins and Gadd used to collaborate and in this high energy game show send-up, old footage of Gadd is aired in which the superstar asks “Where's that dog so I can f**k it?” before appearing anxiously in court.
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It says something about Ewins that this is not the most breathtaking moment in his brilliantly inventive quickfire multimedia set. Blink and you'll miss numerous visual gags. With the assistance of partner Kate Palmer on tech he is able to respond onscreen instantly to audience responses via his Chatbot 2.0.
There is always a risk that the rise of technology might remove the spontaneity of stand-up but Ewins puts that fear firmly to bed. Though I do worry that Palmer works so hard she must be risking RSI every night. (★★★★★)
London-based Ania Magliano picked up an Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination last year and there has been talk of her being one of the award favourites this year with Forgive Me, Father. This show has a similar distinctive structure. Magliano’s previous outing used a bad haircut experience to address the trauma of sexual assault, this year she discusses moving in with her boyfriend while referencing further pivotal life experiences.
Magliano very subtly plants narrative seeds which bloom later. There are relatable confessions about cyber-stalking your ex, tales of domestic bickering that many will recognise and a routine about her contraceptive coil that is way funnier than it sounds. Magliano has all bases covered - even sarcastically reading out sporting trivia for blokes in the stalls. Is this better than last year’s show? That’s a tough one. Magliano set a high bar for herself in 2023. Call it a draw. (★★★★)
Comedians at the Fringe often feel obliged to bust taboos, and Olga Koch maybe heads into the ultimate no-go area with Olga Koch Comes From Money. As the title hints, her show is about having a wealthy family. Koch was born in Russia and schooled mainly in the West. While the details are somewhat sketchy, dad ended up with a bulging bank account after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 1990s.
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Yacht anecdotes might not as relatable as Magliano’s relationship woes but, boy, does Koch sell her story with gusto, hitting the ground running and barely pausing. She very much owns her privilege, getting plenty of laughs out of her time in private education – comparing herself to posh English teens is a fertile source of humour. She could come across as smug and spoilt, but is actually extremely likeable and entertaining. A show rich in comedy. (★★★★)
An act that has been generating plenty of pre-Fest buzz is Jazz Emu, the comic creation of performer Archie Henderson. And playing a big room in the Pleasance Courtyard he more than lives up to the hype in Knight Fever. Emu is a preening theatrical peacock, somewhere between Jarvis Cocker and Bill Nighy. He is backed by a full band and has the swagger of Jagger. So far so charismatic rock star then.
The comedy comes partly from the immaculately constructed quirky songs. One number, for example is all about being obsessed with the DVD logo on his TV screen. It’s so catchy and infectious it could be a genuine hit. But the comedy also comes from Emu's ego-driven tribulations, including an imagined beef with Kelly Clarkson. He wants a knighthood and a headline appearance at the Royal Variety Performance. But his rehearsal is not going to plan, particularly when he is upstaged by a robot assistant. This never happens to Taylor Swift. (★★★★)
Another robot assistant pops up in one of the undeniable oddball breakout shows of this year’s Fringe. Demi Adejuyigbe Is Going To Do One (1) Backflip is precisely about what it says on the tin and more. Demi, an American comedy writer, is trying to charm a woman he has a crush on and has decided that the only way to win her over is by doing a backflip. The entire show is a series of obscure life lessons building up to the gymnastic finale.
At one point his mechanical nemesis Punchbot 5000 comes on to hit him in the stomach. Elsewhere there’s in an updated bespoke version of Billy Joel’s pop listicle We Didn’t Start the Fire. And a pep talk from Barack Obama. This is a show that goes to the most unexpected places, whether it’s a beginner’s guide to jazz or a song about the antique online viral clip, The IKEA Monkey. Does he backflip? I wouldn’t dream of spoiling the pay-off. But rest assured if you see this you'll be jumping for joy. (★★★★)
