Some comedians need a few minutes to win an audience over. Eva Peroni appears to have no interest in waiting that long. From the moment she takes the stage, she is completely in command, launching into an hour of stories that takes us from growing up in Scotland to finding herself in Costa Rica, with several questionable decisions along the way.
Peroni’s journey towards understanding her sexuality sits naturally within the storytelling rather than becoming its sole focus. A move to Costa Rica becomes a turning point, opening a new chapter of her life and, inevitably, leading to a brilliantly chaotic story involving drugs and the possibility of getting herself into serious trouble.
What makes Peroni particularly exciting is her delivery. Her timing is razor-sharp, and she knows exactly how far to push a moment. She can be calmly telling a story one second and screaming at the audience the next, somehow making the escalation feel completely natural. She is equally happy to turn the joke on herself, with her resemblance to a Victorian child becoming one of the show’s funniest recurring observations. It perfectly captures what makes her comedy work; she is completely willing to make herself the punchline.
There is a calmness to all the chaos. Peroni is bubbly, open and effortlessly likeable, but there is also a confidence in her performance that suggests this is only the beginning. By the end, she has done something every comedian wants to do: make the audience feel like they are already friends. Peroni is a rising star, and this Fringe feels like the perfect place to watch her take off.
Eva Peroni: Jungled, 16:40 at Nook at Gilded Balloon Teviot at 4:40 pm from August 5-30
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/eva-peroni-jungled
