Punchline recommends Beetlemania : Kafka for Kids!

Words by Suzy Romer Kafka for Kids is a fantastic all-rounder of a show for the entire family. There are jokes, stories, songs, puppetry and brilliant ad libs that make for a really entertaining hour of fun. Kafka is bit of a challenge for adults (well, me anyway) so it comes as a wonderful surprise

Punchline recommends Adam Riches Is The Guy Who…

Words by Suzy Romer Adam Riches is a consummate comedy performer who exerts absolute and exhilarating control over his audience. The moment the show begins we are enthralled. He moves among the tables, creating a high-tension atmosphere which crackles with laughter as he unleashes his latest comic creation on one and all.  We never know

Punchline recommends Laura Lexx: Trying

Words by Suzy Romer Laura Lexx has prepared a carefully written, honest and rounded show which she performs with dynamic charm and warmth. She begins her show with funny memories of carefree family holidays in the 1990s, before gently easing us into her recent experiences of anxiety as an adult. Her anxiety stems from genuinely

Liam Withnail: Homeboy

Words by Susan Stewart Liam Withnail (2018 Amused Moose Comedy Award Nominee) is very well-known in the Scottish comedy community outside of the Festival, but how does his new show Homeboy rate with an Edinburgh audience in August? The answer is well, and is in fact one of my most exciting recommendations this year. Homeboy

Punchline recommends Gráinne Maguire: I Forgive You; Please Like Me

Words by Susan Stewart Gráinne Maguire is certainly no stranger to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and 2018 is in my opinion, her finest hour of stand up yet. Gráinne is completely prepared for the extreme heat of Gilded Balloon’s Wee Room, and before the show has even started and we are taken to our seats,

Punchline recommends Mark Simmons: One Linererer

Words by Susan Stewart The Edinburgh Fringe is an excellent platform for comedians and performers to talk about big issues, and this year has certainly brought a lot of well-deserved hot topics to the forefront of comedy. However, sometimes you just need hundreds of jokes thrown at you really quickly, to momentarily forget how grey

Punchline recommends Rosie Jones: Fifteen Minutes

Words by Duncan Rosie Jones welcomes us warmly with a glint in her eye, ready to tease the audience with her sparkling wit and juicy surprises. She’s willing to take a joke to extreme lengths, Borat style, with gleeful enjoyment in the social discomfort of others. The fact that she has cerebral palsy is not

Punchline recommends Ciarán Dowd: Don Rodolfo

Words by Suzy Romer For an hour every night, Ciarán Dowd converts his venue into a box of delights. As soon as he fights his way onto stage, we are thrilled by his swishing sword, black frilled shirt and ravishing eye liner. Add in a Spanish accent (with Irish undertones), outrageous tales of derring do

Punchline recommends Henry Paker: Man Alive

Words by Ross Stark A live drawing intro is a gentle ice breaker that kicks off this absolute treat of a show. Paker paints an image of living an unhappy middle class life; doing so only to keep his middle class wife happy. However, not everything is as it seems. The show cuts between Paker’s

Punchline recommends Kieran Hodgson: ’75

Words by Suzy Romer Kieran Hodgson is a multi-talented writer and performer who masters any subject of his choosing. This year he provides a rich, frothy hour of comedy from the most unlikely of sources; the story of how the UK joined Europe. It turns out that there’s a heck of a lot we don’t