Queer spaces come in all shapes, which is why it’s always such a delight to find such variety at the Fringe each year. Here is just a sample of what piques our interest.
Edinburgh Fringe stalwart Sarah Keyworth made an excellent bang with Sarah Keyworth: My Eyes Are Up Here, winning Most Outstanding Show at Melbourne International Comedy Festival earlier this year. In the last 12 months they’ve been diagnosed with ADHD, had top surgery, and shockingly discovered that their mother may actually have been right. Who knew?
Josh Jones arrives at full power with smart wit and tightly written gags about all the things that interest him. Josh Jones: Put A Sock In It at the Monkey Barrel makes the most of Jones’ love of history. He hosts his own historical gossip podcast ‘Dead Drama’, so you can be sure his familiarity with the Tudors et al will serve up some excellent little-known facts and perspectives. The show also dips into his competitive nature, particularly with his brother. Family dis-harmony and head-chopping may well feature in more than one episode of this engaging show.
Sallayann Fellowes makes her Edinburgh debut at the Underbelly this year after picking up the prestigious Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year. Bringing her unique take on being neurodiverse and LGBTQ+ in a world that is not built to be either, Fellowes storytelling stand-up show Sallyann Fellowes: Salien is already getting the good kind of attention.
You can also catch 2022’s Leicester Square winner Will Owen at Assembly. His debut show, Will Owen: Like, Nobody’s Watching, deep dives on his absolute love of all-things telly, from being a die-hard expert on reality competitions, to writing fan mail, all the way to joining the audience for ‘Loose Women’ and getting swept up in the passion of daytime debate. Light entertainment is in Owen’s sights in more ways than one.
Acclaimed Aussie Tom Ballard has a brand-new show at Monkey Barrel, sharing his political wit and insights in Tom Ballard: Good Point Well Made. Taking a jumping off point from Australia’s refusal to enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament, and moving on to Trump, culture wars, and events in the Middle East – this left-leaning liberal comedian packs an hour with heartfelt jokes and serious questions about the state of the world.
A fresh comic voice from Down Under is Lou Wall, with Lou Wall: The Bisexual’s Lament at the Pleasance Courtyard. Utilising their trademark PowerPoint slides and hilarious memes, Wall takes a humorous and chaotic look at their own tragi-comic annus horribilus, which begins with a break up. Satisfyingly, it also led to a Best Of The Fest award at the Sydney Comedy Festival this year.
US comic Otter Lee’s flamboyant Otter Lee: Princess Syndrome show at Just the Tonic merges stand-up, storytelling, and musicality. Involving a wicked stepmother, Disney song parodies, and an animal side-kick, as well as the low-down on dating, celebrity gossip, and being a Dungeon Master, Lee promises a performance packed with originality and surprises.
Also making an Edinburgh debut in 2024 is Olivia Levine, delivering a candid and raunchy debut stand-up show in Oliva Levine: Unstuck at Just the Tonic. She serves up a tale of early solo sexual enthusiasm, shame spirals, and then a joyful coming out to both herself and the rest of the world at college, with facepalm situations aplenty.
Another stand-up debut is Catherine McCafferty, at Just the Tonic, with Catherine McCafferty (Not) That Bad. Late to come out of the closet but quick to get engaged, McCafferty shares how she navigates life, alongside losing her Dad,her fiancée and – in one memorable instance – her bowel-control!
Mark Bittlestone confronts toxic masculinity and heteronormative expectations – in a fun way – with his debut show Mark Bittlestone: I Need A Straight Guy at the Pleasance. Bittlestone made a name for himself producing funny takedown clips of the male gay experience. Now he’s turning his focus to the boxes everyone – including himself – put queer people into, and whether they get in the way of watching the footie with a pint, and maybe finding a fella.
Finally, kick up your heels, throw-back your inhibitions and join award-winning queer cabaret artist Aidan Sadler for the Big Gay Afterparty at Just the Tonic. This pop-up party promises to be both chic and outrageous. With a rotating cast of some of the most fabulous performers from the Fringe each after-midnight show will be sizzlingly different from the last. Sadler also has a solo show Aidan Sadler: Melody at the Voodoo Rooms.
For times prices and tickets go to www.edfringe.com
