‘HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!’
Hear all of that laughter? No? Do you want to hear it? Of course ye do. Better still, SNACK can help you be part of it with our comprehensive guide to all things rib-breaking happening at the Edinburgh Fringe this year. Check it out. Ice packs at the ready.
DAN WYE AM I SAM SMITH?
Pleasance Dome, Ace Dome 31st July till Sun 25th August (excluding 11th and 18th)
Everybody has a celebrity lookalike. But what happens when you look a little bit too much like your famous counterpart? Well: you’re famous without the perks. That is the story of comedycabaret sensation Dan Wye, who brings their debut stand-up show to the Fringe. Directed by Soho Theatre’s Lee Griffiths, Wye explores the power and joy in finding their queer identity and the absurd reality of it being taken away by someone with four BRIT Awards.
Tickets available here.
FREYA MALLARD: THE BOUNCE BACK
Baby Grand, Pleasance Courtyard, 31st July till 25th August (excluding 13th August)
Modern women can have it all! Or at least, that’s what they say…New mum Freya Mallard makes her Fringe debut, determined to prove that being a new mum and performing a smash-hit stand-up hour can go hand in hand. Expect her silly, fun, and slightly absurd take on everything. from her dying wish for her partner to stay single forever to holes in Darwinian principles.
Tickets available here.
GARETH MUTCH: MODERN MAN
The Stand 2 31st July till 25th August (excluding 12th August)
Gone are the days of men being hunters and women foragers; this is the era of the modern man. What exactly is a modern man? The jury is still out on that, but Gareth is desperately trying to become one. In a dazzling hour of observational stand-up, Gareth invites the audience along with his struggles of not having a toolbox and climbing the property ladder (with his wife there to foot it) as he attempts to be a modern man.
Tickets available here.
RHYS NICHOLSON: HUGE BIG PARTY CONGRATULATIONS!
Underbelly Bristo Square, Ermintrude 31st July till 25th August
Say I do. Congratulations are in order! Rhys Nicholson is finally married – imagine that! After years of stand-up shows about getting engaged, fighting for marriage equality in Australia, planning and then cancelling their wedding because of something you might remember called the Covid-19 pandemic?
It could be argued that being indefinitely betrothed became Rhys’ personality. However, fear not, as their ‘happily ever after’ has begun and it is certainly not the end for the comedian who asks the big questions: like why don’t they feel any differently now that they’ve said ‘I do’?
Tickets available here.
BI-TOPIA
Belly Laugh, Underbelly Cowgate 3rd till 25th August (excluding 12th)
Growing up, Sam Danson wanted nothing more than to be Ben Affleck in Pearl Harbor, Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan, and sometimes even Rambo. With generations of men in his family serving in the military, Sam’s path was set. That was until a brutal homophobic attack that left him wondering how to call himself an honourable man, when he had become a victim. Follow along on his new mission, where charging from the battlefield to the bedroom he explores LGBTQ+ identity, masculinity, discrimination, and trauma in this hilarious, candid tale of self discovery.
Tickets available here.
DRIVER’S SEAT: OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISASTER
theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall 2nd till 24th August (excluding 7th, 11th, 14th and 21st)
Most eight-year-olds are scared of the monsters under their bed: Ellie Brelis was scared of those inside her head. From threatening to harm her sister to taunting her about the imminent death of her parents, she spent years terrified of them. Years later, in 2020, her monster has been diagnosed as OCD and Ellie can’t drive, can’t eat pizza, decidedly can’t keep a boyfriend… but the one thing she can do is find humour in the horror.
Buckle up for a shockingly funny and twisted ride through a young woman’s epic break-up, major breakdown, coming out, and – just possibly – learning how to drive.
Tickets available here.
HANNAH GADSBY: WOOF!
Underbelly, Bristo Square – McEwan Hall 18th till 25th August
Winner of Best Comedy Show at the Fringe in 2017, Hannah Gadsby is back with their new show, Woof!. A lot has changed for Hannah since scooping up their award – Woof! is a selfreflective excavation of anxiety, love, and loss.
Tickets available here.
JENNY TIAN: CHINESE AUSTRALIAN
Assembly George Square Studios, Studio 5 31st Jul, 1st till 12th, 14th till 25th August
Having starred in Taskmaster Australia and previously opened for Hannah Gadsby, Jenny Tian launches her stand-up career with her inaugural show, Chinese Australian. Tian’s razorsharp humour tracks the trajectory of her rise to internet fame via social media, exploring the irony of digital platforms, hope, and clout-chasing.
Tickets available here.
HOW TO MATE: THE TED XXX TALK
Assembly Roxy 6th till 24th August (excluding 13th)
Returning as Guildfordian iPod-DJ Steve Porters, Daisy Doris May returns with an all-new solo comedy drag show. Last year Steve aced feminism. The result? A girlfriend. Now he’s venturing beyond second base and sayin’ yes to luv! Following the success of last year’s How to Flirt, audiences are sure to be in stitches as Daisy breaks boundaries and offers a witty exploration of themes such as identity, gender binaries, and toxic masculinity.
Tickets available here.
Main Photo Credit: Dylan Woodley
