Andrew White: What a Life, Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh Fringe 2026

 By Ollie Wilson

What a marvellous hour of cutting-edge, largely death-related comedy this is - from a highly accomplished stand-up.

I laughed like a drain at Andrew White's routines about living with his parents, looking older than his 26 years of age, Jonathan the Jester and his mother's demise.

White is enormously affable and an excellent gag writer. The material about celebrants was terrific - I have come across so very many crap ones, they are more than ripe for ridicule. 

And, like myself, he has a love for pursuing 'The Man' in wars of attrition over minor misfortunes. That's the spirit, lad! 

In a tough Fringe for pulling audiences, the room was packed - and you could see why. White was outstanding from start to finish. Lovely job!

Star rating: *****

Madeleine Brettingham: Legend, Gilded Balloon Teviot, Edinburgh Fringe 2026

 By Ollie Wilson

You don't see many stand-up shows with real balls, taking the piss out of men and women, embracing stereotypes before debunking them, and not giving an eff about political correctness. This is one such rarity.

Madeleine Brettingham uses her background of being brought up by an alcoholic single dad in not-so-sunny Bournemouth to expose the ludicrousness of 'man the legend'. With an exceptionally tightly written script, delivered in a machine-gun rat-tat-tat fashion, and a bit of a put-on ladette accent, her scathing lines rarely missed their mark. 'Women had tits, men had a van,' she said, reflecting on different times. And the showjumper clitoris joke was a killer!  

From geezers - 'half-man, half-crab' - to the Artful Dodger to serial killers, she combined wit with physicality and her imposing height with an ability to out-geezer geezers, out-bollocks blokes - and lampoon car-crash 'legends'. 

And, yeah, why shouldn't a woman behave just as crudely as a man, and be awarded popular 'legend' status for doing so? What geezers can do, birds can do better! 

The finale was a triumphant treat! And, overall, it is a beautiful piece of writing, poetic at times, without letting the facts get in the way of a great story. Yet at times it was also brutally honest. Brettingham, a Cambridge graduate, uses stock stereotypes as skilfully as Al Murray, an Oxford University graduate, did more than 25 years ago at the Edinburgh Fringe as the Pub Landlord to expose the absurdity of so much of the human condition. 

The inspired greatness of this show is beyond a shadow of doubt.

Star rating: *****   

David Tsonos: Club Comedian, Laughing Horse @ Kick Ass Cowgate, Edinburgh Fringe 2026

With 10 people in the audience, half of them Scousers, veteran comedian David Tsonos had his work cut out. . . but he did all right.

The jolly journeyman is certainly no stand-up star - his material is a bit on the weak side. But he has bags of experience from 25 years of cracking jokes at clubs and comedy festivals around the world, and is pleasant to listen to, despite his trademark squeaky voice.

Canadian David may not have quite understood what nicknames are, but he had the odd good routine and gag, such as the triangle joke and his farm/firm bit. 

But I enjoy this kind of thing: a decent guy with a good heart, trying his best, with modesty and workman-like professionalism. On a good day, he might have taken the roof off.

Star Rating: ****

Well-Balanced Dads, Alba @ Hill St Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe 2026

By Ollie Wilson

This was a tremendous show combining sharp comedy, amusing audience participation and acrobatics.

Two American dads, missing their kids, go on a camping holiday together, picking up hitch-hikers, staging dance competitions in the woods - and learning more about themselves and their relationships with their children.

It was very funny and touching. Whisper Theatre are extremely skilled and talented - and undoubtedly deserve a far larger audience than they have been getting.

Well-Balanced Dads was the 34th show I have attended at this year's Fringe, and one of the most enjoyable. 

Star Rating: *****  

Patrick Monaghan: I'm Not A Terrorist - I'm Freddie Mercury, Gilded Balloon Patter House, Edinburgh Fringe 2026

By Ollie Wilson

Patrick Monaghan has a very engaging manner - exploring the audience and quickly locking them into his act. On this night, he encountered an interesting selection, ranging from a 12-year-old boy at the back to an old drama school mate at the front.

He fished for their schooldays nicknames, landing a small haul including 'Kitty', 'Gaylord' and 'Cougar'. His own schooldays, in Middlesbrough, after this family had fled Iran, were fascinating. He was nicknamed 'Terrorist' because 'Foreigner' was taken - assigned to boy from nearby Gateshead! 

Monaghan's storytelling is marvellous. He spins the yarn of growing up as an Iranian exile in a sometimes-hostile North-east England most skilfully. You can picture him as a child in a suitcase being smuggled out of Iran or taking part in his school Nativity play. He also has a good sense of generational differences, drawing out blasts from the past like 'the sliderule', 'chess' or 'paper' (!) from baby-boomers to confound the digitally addicted Gen Z. 

Most of all, there is joy in his act, a rich musicality and great fun. I was at the gig with my fellow cast members from another show, having had, admittedly, a few refreshments, and it felt like Patrick was weaving magic in front of our eyes. We all loved the show - and loved him, too! And the Freddie Mercury finale was brilliantly entertaining. 

Star Rating: *****