Fringe: Martin Urbano - Anna Lou - Garrett Millerick

Apology Comeback Tour ★★★★
Martin Urbano
Pleasance Courtyard, Bunker Three • Fringe, Aug.23

Wholly and rather boldly wrong, Martin Urbano's stand-up is a masterclass in wrong-footing the audience, deploying a slickly endearing persona while saying things that are so vile that they're unrepeatable. With a cute smile and conspiratorial wink, Urbano casually tosses punchlines relating to racism, misogyny and, most of all, pedophilia. But because he presents this with such relentless charm, plus a bit of awkwardness, he completely disarms us, eliciting laugh after belly laugh. And each time, we worry that we perhaps shouldn't be laughing at this. 

Everything about Urbano's set is peppered with absurdly rude gags, from his celebrity impressions (Bill Cosby) to the way he talks about "my crazy Mexican family". But he also has a sharp underlying point, poking fun at false concern and outrage. Much of the humour is aimed at himself, taking on a range of inappropriate attitudes. This is daring satire, playing on men who feel like they "can't do anything anymore" while protesting the "allegations against me". But all of this is delivered in a way that makes a solid point about the darker edges of culture.

"I'm so edgy, offensive, cool and awesome," he says, as he indulges in some hilariously messy tone-shifting, acting like he's making this up as he goes. He has the audience ask pre-scripted questions that are surreal in their implications. He launches into a riff about child abuse following a very rude Mad Libs bit, then brings someone from the front row on-stage to read a brilliantly self-critical closing series of jokes that tie everything together. The best comedians should always shock the audience, and Urbano is a master.

For details, MARTIN URBANO >

photos by Dylan Woodley • 12.Aug.23

Le Wine Club ★★★
with Anna Lou Larkin
Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose, Nip • Fringe, Aug.23

This offbeat show is a mixture of song and dance, a lecture about wine, a magic trick and a murder mystery. It's cleverly put together as a lively one-woman show by Anna Lou Larkin, who hosts with a heightened French accent and oh-la-la charm. So if the comedy feels a little undercooked, never quite finding its sharper edges, the overall narrative provides an amiably nutty way to spend an hour, complete with a cup of wine picked up on the way into the theatre space.

Anna Lou is a delightful host, delivering music and information with a twinkly smile that occasionally transforms into a devious smirk. "Here, hope is drunk and drunks have hope," she announces, launching into a lesson about wine tasting while dropping in references to a very special bottle of wine and her winemaker ex-partner Marcel, who left her. Well, he died. And was probably murdered by Bob, who owns the bar. This narrative develops interspersed with instructions about wine tasting: look, sniff, sip, slurp, swirl, spit or swallow!

Essentially a mini cabaret show, each element of this performance is packed with wry humour. The songs are silly and funny, and Anna Lou even accompanies a couple of them with her accordion. The wine lecture is informative and full of innuendo. And the story of Marcel's demise is sad and goofy. In other words, this is a show that keeps us smiling all the way through, with the occasional burst of laughter. It's also a terrific reminder that even though there are clear rules about drinking wine, it's better to do whatever you want to do. And that champagne goes with everything.

For details, ANNA LOU LARKIN >

13.Aug.23

Never Had It So Good ★★★★★
Garrett Millerick
Monkey Barrel Comedy, The Tron • Fringe, Aug.23

Full-on from the moment he starts, Millerick launches into one riotously hilarious rant after another, building up a rather alarming sweat as he takes the audience on a hugely entertaining journey that's bold and wonderfully abrasive, but underscored with an honest sense of frustration that pretty much everyone can identify with. Millerick has a way of picking up on things that are happening right now, even right during the show, and incorporating them flawlessly into his tirade, which seems almost on the verge of boiling over into a mass murder. And it powers at high speed into an absolutely stunning conclusion that's both funny and strongly pointed.

He begins by abusing the Fringe audience for attending five or more shows in musty basements, equating our quest for more with an eating disorder. And he sees this in our quest for ever more sequels, revivals of vintage TV shows and endless streaming channels. "I am not a well man," he admits, but then everyone is depressed to some degree these days. We thought David Bowie's death at the start of 2016 would be the worst thing about that year. So as badly as he wants to write a positive show after getting his life back on track, losing a lot of weight and getting sober, he can't help but notice how relentless modern life is. So he says controversial things ("Call me the Edge Lord").

He believes that at the moment he was born in the summer of 1983, there was already more than enough Star Wars. He knowingly punctures a range of deliberately virtuous activity. And he sees that the fallout from the British Empire is like a party we missed, but now we have to pay the bar bill. Yes, he seems to have something to say about almost everything, but his comments echo what we have been thinking, and it's refreshing to hear them out loud. Then he turns the tables on us, and in a perfectly constructed narrative unpicks his own arguments to give us a blast of unapologetic positivity. And it's simply exhilarating, even in a musty basement.

For details, GARRETT MILLERICK >

photos by Edward Moore • 13.Aug.23

Full information at EDINBURGH FRINGE >