Stepping into the buzzing Underbelly at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe — specifically the CowBarn — I was met with the ecstatic energy radiating from Brown Girls Do It Too: Mama Told Me Not to Come. Before you even take your seat, award-winning BBC Sounds podcasters Poppy and Rubina have already set an atmosphere. Nostalgic hits from the early 2000s bombard you with explicit, modern ‘bad girl’ anthems. If the title wasn’t warning enough, the soundtrack makes one thing clear: this is going to be a ride. And if I were either Poppy or Rubina writing this review, that would have been an ideal gateway to a cheeky innuendo.
And, cheeky innuendos are exactly what this show thrives on. From the outset, the performers create a sense of intimacy. Audience participation is encouraged, whether that means confessing sex secrets or sharing embarrassing stories. What emerges is a reminder that awkwardness around sexuality is universal and the duo embraces that fact to put everyone at ease.
Rubina makes her entrance with a bold introduction – not only as a TV executive but as a ‘part-time sex offender’. The line lands with a sharp mix of shock and wit, typical of her style. Later, she locks onto an audience member, a man sitting to the left of me, Nikhil, who admits he’s an actor. Without missing a beat she replies, ‘So, coffee shop?’ Rubina quips, with the ease of someone who thrives on playful improvisation. Her quick-fire wit means no two shows feel quite the same.
But it isn’t just about the laughs. Beneath the humour lies a vein of nostalgia and tenderness. The pink, sparkly backdrop is plastered with early 2000s posters of films and pop stars, (a special shout-out to Cheryl Cole and Beyoncé) immediately evoking girlhood bedrooms across the UK. For Brown girls raised in predominantly white spaces, those images carried complicated weight: both familiar and aspirational, yet also alienating. The performers lean into this, mocking stereotypes with sketches about ‘Aunties working for MI6’ – also known as ‘Coconut Crimes’ – while reflecting on the cultural tightrope of growing up Brown in Britain.
Props are used with intention, always carrying a double edge of humour and critique. A badly bleached blonde wig represents the impact of whiteness (‘Yes, we all watched Bend It Like Beckham, but we all wanted to look like Keira Knightley’), while a backwards cap pokes fun at Brown boys cosplaying as road-men. Every visual choice is designed to land a laugh while pushing a deeper point.
What stands out most is how Brown Girls Do It Too manages to be both defiant and affectionate. It’s a middle finger to the stereotypes that have long limited Brown women, and at the same time a love letter to the older girls and aunties who shaped them. It insists that the next generation doesn’t need to contort themselves to belong — simply existing authentically is enough.
That message lands in small but striking moments. As the show ended, one older Brown woman remained in her seat, tearful while the rest of the audience filed out. Her stillness captured the show’s resonance: yes, it’s about sex and laughter, but it’s also about identity, family, and the little girl inside all of us still hoping to make our families proud.
Funny, raw, and unashamedly bold, Brown Girls Do It Too: Mama Told Me Not to Come proves that comedy can be both deeply political and a cultural reckoning, even if it’s wrapped in pink, glitter and a whole lot of sass.
Brown Girls Do It Too: Mama Told Me Not to Come – Cowbarn at Underbelly Bristo Square till 24th August
Till 25th August 2025 underbellyedinburgh.co.uk
Photo credit: Mark Senior
