The best comedy shows to see at the Edinburgh Fringe this year
Nish Kumar: Ruminations on the Nature of Subjectivity
Where: Pleasance Courtyard, Beside
When: 7.15pm
Until: August 24
In a nutshell...
Ruminations on the Nature of Subjectivity? Doesn’t sound like a barrel of laughs, eh – but don’t be fooled. Despite both its fancypants title and the fact that this is a show largely about the infinitely thorny topic of race, it proves a laughter-filled hour. A high-energy performer – smart-alec, but also immensely likeable – Kumar has not only packed his second Fringe show with pithy anecdotes and observations about how we see ourselves and those around us, but has also woven an abundance of wit into them. You’ll leave both thinking hard - about, say, the 16 per cent of Britains apparenty happy to bring mixed-race children into the world and yet bizarrely unhappy with the idea of a non-white PM - and having had a cracking good time.
When: 7.15pm
Until: August 24
In a nutshell...
Ruminations on the Nature of Subjectivity? Doesn’t sound like a barrel of laughs, eh – but don’t be fooled. Despite both its fancypants title and the fact that this is a show largely about the infinitely thorny topic of race, it proves a laughter-filled hour. A high-energy performer – smart-alec, but also immensely likeable – Kumar has not only packed his second Fringe show with pithy anecdotes and observations about how we see ourselves and those around us, but has also woven an abundance of wit into them. You’ll leave both thinking hard - about, say, the 16 per cent of Britains apparenty happy to bring mixed-race children into the world and yet bizarrely unhappy with the idea of a non-white PM - and having had a cracking good time.
Frank Skinner – Man in a Suit
Where: Assembly George Square Theatre
When: 8.45-10.15pm
Until: August 24
In a nutshell...
Calmly edgy, cheerfully self-obsessed and self-mocking, and emphatically preoccupied with the passing years, the celebrated Midlander (now 57) serves up a welter of very superior writing, delivered with utmost confidence in that slow, pensive, oh-so-familiar West Bromwich drawl. If it all carries on a little longer than you might want, many of the jokes – most memorably about Skinner's rows with his girlfriend, and a certain prince’s love life – are absolutely first-rate, while his combination of indelible laddishness and high-status snootiness makes for an interesting dynamic. In short, Skinner is an old pro, and it shows in spades.
When: 8.45-10.15pm
Until: August 24
In a nutshell...
Calmly edgy, cheerfully self-obsessed and self-mocking, and emphatically preoccupied with the passing years, the celebrated Midlander (now 57) serves up a welter of very superior writing, delivered with utmost confidence in that slow, pensive, oh-so-familiar West Bromwich drawl. If it all carries on a little longer than you might want, many of the jokes – most memorably about Skinner's rows with his girlfriend, and a certain prince’s love life – are absolutely first-rate, while his combination of indelible laddishness and high-status snootiness makes for an interesting dynamic. In short, Skinner is an old pro, and it shows in spades.
Phil Wang: Mellow Yellow
Where: Pleasance Courtyard, Bunker One
When: 5.50pm
Until: August 24
In a nutshell...
Not another British-Chinese engineer-turned-comedian... A Fringe debutant last year, Wang is unusual in all ways, and is clearly a fellow on the up. His new set, Mellow Yellow, sees this remarkably relaxed, self-proclaimed “gateway Asian” serve up droll, flip-side, largely (but not always) self-deprecating observations about his race, his size and his sexual habits, with neat running gags that range from the preponderance of the word “Chinese” in everyday phrases to his thoughts on predictably gritty filmic reboots and their scores and trailers. Performed with the help of a digital delay pedal, the passages on the latter are particularly original and promising, but not yet served up with quite enough polish to earn him a fourth star.
When: 5.50pm
Until: August 24
In a nutshell...
Not another British-Chinese engineer-turned-comedian... A Fringe debutant last year, Wang is unusual in all ways, and is clearly a fellow on the up. His new set, Mellow Yellow, sees this remarkably relaxed, self-proclaimed “gateway Asian” serve up droll, flip-side, largely (but not always) self-deprecating observations about his race, his size and his sexual habits, with neat running gags that range from the preponderance of the word “Chinese” in everyday phrases to his thoughts on predictably gritty filmic reboots and their scores and trailers. Performed with the help of a digital delay pedal, the passages on the latter are particularly original and promising, but not yet served up with quite enough polish to earn him a fourth star.
Eleanor Morton: Lollipop
Where: Stand 4
When: Noon
Until: August 24
In a nutshell...
A particularly offbeat, deeply personal, forlornly cheerful Fringe debut in which this young comedian lays bare her chronic anxiety through stories, observations and a handful of sketchily drawn songs. One or two of these ditties – especially a David O’Doherty-esque paean to clubbing that could be subtitled “... or, The sweet self-justification of a chronic wallflower” – are super, and Morton herself has charm to spare, but there simply aren’t yet enough laughs overall to make Lollipop successful as an hour of comedy. Still, plenty of offbeat talent bubbling under here - one watches with interest.
When: Noon
Until: August 24
In a nutshell...
A particularly offbeat, deeply personal, forlornly cheerful Fringe debut in which this young comedian lays bare her chronic anxiety through stories, observations and a handful of sketchily drawn songs. One or two of these ditties – especially a David O’Doherty-esque paean to clubbing that could be subtitled “... or, The sweet self-justification of a chronic wallflower” – are super, and Morton herself has charm to spare, but there simply aren’t yet enough laughs overall to make Lollipop successful as an hour of comedy. Still, plenty of offbeat talent bubbling under here - one watches with interest.
