What I Saw at the Fringe: Day 9, August 13
I’m writing this over a week later, because the Fringe hangover was hard to beat. Even though I only stayed for a short time, it felt like an eternity. I laughed, I cried, I drank, and I saw so much amazing comedy. Sorry if these reviews are a bit more vague since I’m writing so much later!
I started the day with one of my favorites from 2019, Josh Glanc: Vrooom Vrooom, a ridiculous hour of absurd and chaotic sketch comedy. Using impeccable audiovisual cues and endless props, Josh had the audience cackling, as long as they weren’t unwillingly roped into one of his sketches. And even then, he has a knack for getting the audience to join in and get on his side. Lovers of alternative comedy, sketch, and general silliness should check him out!
The next show I attended was Awkward Sex… and the City with Natalie Wall, a comedian from NYC. The first half of the show featured Calvin Cato, who did a killer set about hooking up and dating in NYC as a gay man packed full of hilarious lines and great storytelling. Natalie closed out the show by telling a harrowing tale of hooking up with (then trying to escape from) a wealthy older man who turned out to not be quite what he first seemed. As a lover of dirty jokes, this was a great show that I would highly recommend! Plus, Natalie has different guests every night, and tells different stories, so go more than once!
Finally I went to see two rising stars of UK comedy, Kiran Saggu and Sarah Roberts: Cake. Kiran started the show by getting the audience to compete for a cupcake by sharing the worst reason they should win the cupcake (the winner thought he might have a hernia but never went to the doctor). Then Sarah took the stage and rattled off killer joke after killer joke with a mischievously sweet demeanor that only added to the humor and had audiences laughing almost constantly. Kiran closed out the show with a hilarious, well-crafted set about her experiences living in the UK, the plights of being a tall woman, and more with a charismatic stage presence and amazing timing. Overall, it was a great split bill with two fresh voices that will surely be making huge names for themselves soon. Check them out while you still can!
That night I stayed out until 4AM and went directly to the airport to catch an early flight. As I was walking to the airport bus, I felt like I was leaving summer camp. It was such an incredible and exhausting experience! I met so many great people, saw fantastic shows, performed and hosted, and there was still so much I didn’t get to see and do. Well… I guess there’s always Edinburgh Fringe 2023! Til then, enjoy the rest of your Fringe! And hope to see you all in Barcelona soon!
