Fringe: Zoe Coombs Marr - Death of Molly Miller - Dane Baptiste

The Opener ★★★★★
Zoë Coombs Marr
Pleasance Courtyard, Above • Fringe, Aug.23

With a blistering pace and a take-no-prisoners approach, Coombs Marr's playfully absurdist show is thunderously funny, a continuous stream of hilarious gags that are simultaneously smart and silly. She shines both as herself and her alter-ego Dave, and especially when the two are duelling. Essentially, all of this is a meta joke about standup itself, written and played with a wry wink and relentless energy. And the way she takes on the biggest topics of the moment without flinching is inventive and important, cutting through the usual noise. It's a bold, gleefully abrasive piece that never allows us to stop laughing.

Appearing in a dressing gown, Zoe delivers a "pre-talk show" as the opener for the headline performer Dave. He's her boorish alter-ego, and she retired him years ago when the world seemed to get better, but realises that opinionated men are in vogue again (as are spaghetti straps and Nazis). Growing increasingly surreal, she transforms into Dave and launches an assault on cancel culture, simply to get it out of the way so he can do real jokes. He notes that he's been in a coma for the past few years, and isn't sure what's still a thing now. Can he talk about tATu, because they're Russian? What about the Edinburgh Tattoo? Is it JK Roh-ling or JK Rao-ling, because he wouldn't want to use the wrong name? And he dives unapologetically into scripts of riffs by Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais, wondering why the audience doesn't laugh when he reads the jokes.

More than a little deranged, Coombs Marr is intensely funny, throwing sharp-edged gags in every direction. She plays with her voice and her full physicality as Dave spirals frantically into a deliciously uncanny final act. Along the way there are astonishing punchlines that pull together several references at once. A key topic is the Me Too movement, which Coombs Marr hits from more sides than anyone thought possible. All of this flows smoothly, with fast and furious pacing and a far, far above average hit-rate. Her quick wit comes through in improvised moments, while her expert writing is revealed in perfectly set-up jokes. And as the show goes knowingly off the rails, it becomes even more than a bracing spoof of deliberately controversial comics and the way we make up things to be offended about. Plus some pole-dancing to tATu.

For details, ZOE COOMBS MARR >

photo by Christa Holka • 15.Aug.23

The Death of Molly Miller ★★★
by Matthew Greenhough
director Jonny Kelly
with Esther-Grace Button, Matthew Greenhough
Underbelly Cowgate, Big Belly • Fringe, Aug.23

Sharply pointed, this two-hander is packed with knowing observations and tense interaction. Playing out in real time, it traces a standoff as a desperate young man breaks into the home of an influencer to steal the jewels in her photos. But of course they aren't hers, and when she comes home early the situation turns frightening for both of them. The script isn't quite as hard-hitting as it tries to be, and it only occasionally generates the blackly comical tone it seems to be aiming for. But it's involving and packed with strong commentary about how culture is intertwined with social media.

On an eye-catching minimal set in a ring of light, the masked thief Tommy (played by writer Greenhough) is rummaging around and speaking urgently to someone on the phone when influencer and former TV dating competition star Molly (Button) returns home. In a panic, Tommy tackles her and ties her to a chair. And they begin to negotiate. Hardly the posh slag from TV, she explains how hard she works and accuses him of being a freeloader. She protests that she's merely a brand ambassador, not a salesperson flogging the things in her socials. He eventually admits that his problem stems from an addiction to a gambling app and a mounting debt to the violent loan shark who keeps ringing him. As they talk, Molly begins to think that she should kill her brand and do something more positive for a change.

Events spiral quickly, and everything is heightened by Tommy's nervous energy, which Greenhough plays at peak volume for much of the show. Naggingly, Tommy never seems stupid enough to believe that anything on Molly's social feed would be true, and yet he thinks the jewels are hers, that her schedule is as written and that she has cash in her flat (to which she replies, "Is it 1992?"). The script's points of conflict and connection feel a bit obvious, but it also makes some striking observations, such as when Molly reveals that even with nearly a million followers she cant help but compare herself to prettier girls who have more. Button's performance is particularly engaging, more understated and nuanced in the way it circles and then punches the story's big themes. 

For details, WOUND UP THEATRE >

photo by Aimee Morley • 15.Aug.23

Bapsquire ★★★★
Dane Baptiste
Monkey Barrel Comedy, Hive 1 • Fringe, Aug.23

Addressing a range of seriously big topics, British comic Baptiste has a disarmingly relaxed style, making telling observations before nailing the audience with another lacerating punchline or two. He doesn't shy away from touchy subjects, but never uses them for shock value. Instead, the central theme of getting older adds weight to his commentary about the world he sees around him, and into which he is bringing a child. So if the set isn't quite as consistently funny as it perhaps could be, it makes up for that by winning us over and making us think.

Like many standups, Baptiste is feeling his age, thinking that 41 is old. But he knows he still looks good, and sets off on a riff about how "Black don't crack", noting that he's one day younger than Beyonce, then lampoons people who are even older, like British DJ Tim Westwood, who's still working at 65. These comments are delivered with a steady pace that builds gently to pithy, almost throwaway punchlines. So the laughter comes more from recognition that surprise or shock. Other riffs include the salient comment that most superheroes are billionaires, so Batman could solve the city's problems more effectively if he helped reset the income inequality that causes people to turn to crime in the first place.

Baptiste also makes continual powerful points about racism from a personal perspective, most compellingly when he talks about how he idolised Black comics and musicians who are now playing police officers in movies and TV, which was fine until he was harassed by nine vile cops. This of course includes an amusing sideroad involving Will Smith and Chris Rock. Baptiste is a superb storyteller, and his anecdotes are full of vividly recounted detail that puts us in his shoes, reinforcing both the comedy and the uncomfortable reality. So it feels a bit odd when he retreats to general comic banter about vegan cheese, whether sex toys are sustainable or what you deserve if you use FaceTime while crossing the street. These are very funny gags, but it's the more personal stuff that sticks with us.

For details, DANE BAPTISTE >

14.Aug.23

Full information at EDINBURGH FRINGE >