Stand up comedian Ian Smith from Have I Got News For You; Live at the Apollo, Just A Minute, The News Quiz etc fame has a live stand-up comedy show not to be missed! The Monkey Barrel in Edinburgh provides a great venue for this. If you want an hour of sheer laughter, this is the stand-up show for you.
Ian Smith is a top notch comedian! It is excellently hilarious, always hitting the highest notes of comedy.
To find out what he has to say about Edinburgh Fringe leaflets, what Netflix has to do with roast dinners, some tastefully done IVF jokes of his experiences, stress and basketball hoops, you need to see the show.
Ian Smith goes from story to story, full of jokes, succinctly with excellent comic timing, then expertly weaving references to part of a previous joke together for great linkage.
I went with my friend Orla (not associated with Bookmarks and Stages, just a friend visiting, who says:
‘”Absolutely fantastic – brilliantly told stories woven together into a hilarious, clever performance.”
This show and it’s absolutely fantastic. People who see a full show of this when one materialises are in for a real treat. For now, head to The Monkey Barrell venue in Edinburgh to catch this particular show. It’s an hour of laughter very well spent. You can get your ticket to the show of much entertainment here: Ian Smith Foot Spa Half Empty
Is she a witch or not? What has made Batilda face this predicament she now finds herself in?
Set in Medieval times, Bebe Cave holds her audience in a bubble of laughter and draws you in with her gaze and compelling performance for an hour.
History and modern times is intelligently blended together in a powerhouse of energy of a performance by Bebe Cave, who comes across as absolutely fearless on stage whilst playing Batilda, Knights of the Realm and more characters… She does this with fun, farcical, caricature type comedy, but grounds it with elements of truthfulness and realities that people can also relate to nowadays.
Batilda is at that stage of life where she wants adventure and to break free of the shackles of what is expected of her as a woman. She is coming of age and has strong desires to be different from the rest of her family. She also wants big, radical change in herself and to become a Christbride, which throws up some interesting conversations between her and God and so much more…
To find out what happens to Batilda and if she is a witch or not, check out the Edinburgh Fringe Festival link here: ChristBride
Synopsis
In the dark, deathly world of the Middle Ages, one (annoying) woman strives to find the light. Join Christbride, a female mystic in a world of male dullards, as she escapes from a life of monotony to a life of devotion. Bebe Cave presents her debut character comedy show. In a time where people believe anything, Christbride is a wild historical farce about what happens when you believe in yourself a little too much. Previous Praise: ***** (Everything-Theatre.co.uk). ***** (TheRecs.co.uk). ***** (BookmarksandStages.home.blog). ***** (@theatrebab, Instagram). **** (List). **** (EdFestMag.com).
Written by Nova Bradford, Caleb Zeringue, Arielle Johnson and Andre Margatini
Music by Arielle Johnson, Lyrics by Johnson and Bradford
“Truly excellent satire… nearly too hot to touch.” – The Independent
“Hilarious in its irreverence and uncomfortable in the truth-telling under the jokes, Luigi has rightfully drawn the attention of media outlets across the country.” – Broke Ass Stuart
“Luigi: the Musical digs at some of the questions facing American culture today” – SF Gate
“Terrible.” – San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco, CA – Aug 5, 2025 –Luigi: The Musical, the dark comedic musical which has evoked a resounding, viral response since its announcement and has sold out every single one of its performances to date, has decided last-minute to bring its acclaimed show to the Edinburgh Fringe for 5 shows at Just the Tonic/ Just the Club. In many conversations, the team says they’ve been asked many times if they’re going to the Fringe and finally after being offered space and dates, they’re going for it. “We’re thrilled to be making our international debut at the legendary Edinburgh Fringe Festival! We just hope the hash brown humor translates across the pond,” said co-writer and one of the stars of the show, Caleb Zeringue.
The show is a darkly funny one-act musical where healthcare, tech, and celebrity collide in a Brooklyn prison cell. Inspired by the true fact that Luigi Mangione, Diddy and Sam Bankman-Fried, three high-profile public figures were held simultaneously at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, the show is set in a prison cell shared by the disgraced crypto mogul, infamous media executive, and the viral Italian sensation and accused assassin, guarded by one confused Sergeant. What starts as chaos turns into a surreal plan for freedom and unexpected fame. From fan mail to absurd schemes, Luigi discovers what happens when broken people become icons in a broken world. Wild, satirical, and complete with original music, this show asks who we choose to believe in when our institutions fall apart.
Imagining the events of the short time that all three were in the same prison at the same time, Luigi uses absurdist humor and original music to explore corporate greed, public spectacle, and the creation of viral folk heroes in the internet age. Said head writer Nova Bradford, “the show really shines a light on the cultural obsession with downfall and redemption, as well as viral fame and the way violence is packaged and sold to us.” The show has quickly drawn mixed attention from news outlets both excited, inspired, confused, and outraged by what they might imagine the show to be, but now the press can come experience the show for themselves.
Jess Robinson is known for being on tv programmes such as Dead Ringers and The Last Leg.
Jess Robinson has divas in her head just desperate to get out to sing the tracks of her life, which come from her love and admiration of Elton John. She’s a powerhouse as she belts out songs that pay homage to him, but in various “divas” voices from Billie Holliday to Kate Bush to Britney Spears to Amy Winehouse to Billie Eillish and more… There’s even an amusing duet involving “Katherine Jenkins” and “Mary Poppins”. As surreal as it sounds, this is a very well put together show, which shows a large range of her impressionist talents. There’s also a bit of funny satire smartly put in there too. When she sings a song straight, she actually has a very listenable singing voice. Whether its her own voice or impersonating someone else’s voice. she has a large vocal range, whether its a popstar or she’s hitting the highest notes of an opera singer.
If you want to see what many female divas sound like singing Elton John songs, then check out more info here for Your Song
Jess Robinson also mentioned she has a book coming out soon. Published by Harper Collins, this biography tells the story of a member of her family in war times and also weaves Jess’s life in here and now in modern day Britain.
review written by Bookmarks and Stages – Louise Cannon
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Most of us have watched The Traitors on tv. The theatre company, Highly Suspect has cleverly taken the idea of it being on stage and ran with it in an interactive, humorous way. Given the popularity of The Traitors on tv, I thought this was a smart idea. There is a host, who, although isn’t Claudia Winkleman, has some of her traits. There are 3 Betray-tors, who you get to know more about in the game.
Everything has been thought about, such as references to the tv show, such as past team games, contestants, including how some are related or pretending they are someone they’re not. These are all cleverly interwoven into the stories you hear. The twist is, someone is murdered, rather grizzly, off set. It’s up to the audience to piece together clues and solve puzzles to find the killer.
The resources the audience is given is all very nicely organised and from there, it’s fast-paced and there’s a lot to do to solve the clues and to find the murderer. It’s lots of fun to do in teams. It’s okay if you’re alone, someone will let you be part of their team. That’s what happened to me due to an unfortunate circumstance.
A creative mix of entertaining stories are well acted out between each character, intelligently, resembling someone who you could believe would be playing The Traitors. Some are told whilst you also work through the puzzles with the clever choice of music – Danse Macabre (Jonathon Creek theme tune music), playing in the background, adding to the mysterious atmosphere.
From start to finish, A Highly Suspect Murder Mystery – The Betray-tors is pure fun. The sort of highly engaging fun you don’t want to miss out on.
It’s Murder… but not as you know it. The audience participate in choosing a murder weapon and a place, so no show is the same. A Jessica Fletcher type character takes note of this improvised show and rounds up her suspects in true cosy crime style at the end, but can you figure out who the murderer is? The victim, the culprit, the plot is never the same each night, due to this intelligent format.
The improvisation as seamless as though it was script-written, but honestly isn’t. What emerges is highly skilled improv as characters are quickly created to suit the roles and situations in a way that is funny and compelling.
What is created is something Jessica Fletcher definitely didn’t write has hilarious outcomes as they interweave the audiences suggestions into their murder mystery.
When I saw this, there was a sharp chicken nugget and a woman who had crocodile tendencies and a red carpet event and Love Island. The charismatic cast mix these bizarre situations without corpsing and create light and shade to create a wonderfully compelling plot.
You can check out more info and how to buy your ticket here:
Bookmarks and Stages by Lou 