Latest news with #ThorStenhaug
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Four Star Edinburgh Fringe Festival Comedy 2025: 12 shows the Scotman critics have loved you can still get tickets for this weekend
It's approaching the end of the first week of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the reviews have been pouring in. With the physical programme containing over 3,350 shows across 265 venues, it can be a daunting task to work out what exactly you are going to see. At The Scotsman we review hundreds of shows every year, with the best receiving a sought-after four or five star rating. This year we have yet to award a comedy show with a rare five stars, but there have been several that have earned four stars. More importantly, several of those still have ticket availability for this weekend (August 8-10) so you can go and see what all the fuss is all about (bad luck if you wanted to see American star Rosie O'Donnell though - she's totally sold out after her four star review earlier in the week). Here are 12 four star comedy shows our team of critics would recommend you see this weekend. 1 . Patrick Monahan: The Good, The Pat, and The Ugly Patrick Monaghan is on at the Gilden Balloon Patter Hoose until August 24. What we said: "His kind of funny is an irresistible force and he doesn't leave anyone behind." | Contributed Photo Sales 2 . Thor Stenhaug: One Night Stand Baby Thor Stenhaug is sold out this Friday and Saturday but there are still tickets left on Sunday and for the rest of his run until August 25 at the Pleasance Courtyard. What we said: "The boyish, almost perma-smiling comic has an irrepressible sunniness, eliciting big laughs for his carefully apportioned bleakness." | Contributed Photo Sales 3 . Ada and Bron: The Origin of Love There are still tickets left for Ada and Bron's 11pm show at the Pleasance Courtyard, throughout its run ending on August 24. What we said: "He's highly watchable and versatile. She's a future star, recalling Caroline Aherne, Tracey Ullman or Morwenna Banks' most memorably girlish turns." | Contributed Photo Sales 4 . Pierre Novellie: You Sit There, I'll Stand Here Pierre Novellie has sold out a couple of his shows at 7.05pm at the Monkey Barrel, but there's still availability for most dates, including this Friday and Sunday (Saturday's sold out, but if you arrive early and queue you may still get in). What we said: "It's rare for an hour to whizz by so fast, for nothing to be for one to wish for a show to be much longer." | Contributed Photo Sales
Scotsman
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Fringe Comedy reviews: Thor Stenhaug Ted Milligan Disabled Cants
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Thor Stenhaug: One Night Stand Baby Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) ★★★★☆ Over and above his god-of-thunder name, Thor Stenhaug has been dealt some unlikely cards in life that serve him well in comedy. A small town Norwegian who's achieved his adolescent, sitcom-inspired dream to live and date in London, the stand-up's nationality continues to be a source of fascination and culture clash quirkiness for everyone, the less-than-seductive tone of his accent contrasted with that of his French flatmate's. More poignantly, he's also the product of an unconventional upbringing, specifically from a one-night stand, his parents perfect strangers tied only by him. An accomplished anecdotalist, Stenhaug mines his circumstances skilfully for an endearing tale that's built on the solid framework of strong observational gags and rich personal disclosure. Thor Stenhaug: One Night Stand Baby | Rebecca Willow Other comics might linger longer in the darkness of his escape from mooted abortion, his mother's serious health scare and the unconventional means by which, as a child, he was ferried between his progenitors by others. Yet beyond even stereotypical Scandinavian liberalism and his mother's inclination towards finding silver linings, the boyish, almost perma-smiling comic has an irrepressible sunniness, eliciting big laughs for his carefully apportioned bleakness, before moving on at an appealing clip through his fulsome tale. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Chiefly, he contrasts his situation with that of his posh, religiously raised girlfriend from a big British family, her father's gentle probing of his background providing some mild narrative jeopardy. Stenhaug's lineage is more spotted even than his conception. And he has more reason than most to hail the invention of contraception, his self-deprecation strong even if his affection for his relatives is palpable. Although his initial struggles with the English language and habits inspire a big chunk of his material, they belie his sophisticated eye for their inconsistencies. The Norwegian deserves his sentimental ending for this storming debut. Jay Richardson until 24 August Ada and Bron: The Origin of Love Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) ★★★★☆ Silly and sexy is a fiendishly difficult combination to pull off. Yet character comics and real-life couple Ada Player and Bron Waugh accomplish it, bringing gorgeous chemistry, total commitment and delightfully inventive playfulness to the rich confection of their late-night Fringe debut. With epic pretensions, their showcase of eight or so pairings overflow with dysfunction and romantic earnestness, opening with the destabilising vision of Aristophanes' rending of soulmates, horrifying white amorphous blobs clutching and clawing through their sheeted bodies. Thereafter, though, Player and Waugh prance about in their underwear, whipping costumes on and off with carefree abandon. The naughtiness of a 1970s suburban affair groans with illicit randiness and bourgeois self-satisfaction, with Waugh the excited husband and Player farcically alternating between his dutiful wife and commanding mistress, all to the jazzy accompaniment of Ed Lyness on keyboard, ever-present and gently smirking throughout the hour. Bron Waugh (l) and Ada Player (r) in Ada & Bron: The Origin of Love | Michael Julings Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Elsewhere, there are some adorably twee munchkins; supernatural beings united in unnatural congress and confused pillow talk; and adolescents fumbling towards their first kiss, unsure if they're transmitting their racing inner thoughts out loud. A standout skit features an elderly woman and a sex robot, with Waugh impassively compliant, Player wild-eyed with resurgent geriatric lust, a spark of something more than AI between them. Another is the overwrought, star-crossed lovers strung out on a rock 'n' roll journey over decades, their devotion hinging on defecation, epitomising the messy, visceral, transgressive quality of much of Ada and Bron's work. There are some lost, lonely, individual souls. Waugh plays a disturbed incel with relish; Player is that violent dinosaur James Bond, killing anything he might love, as well as a sad, spurned young woman, heartbreaking in her self-effacement. He's highly watchable and versatile. She's a future star, recalling Caroline Aherne, Tracey Ullman or Morwenna Banks' most memorably girlish turns. Jay Richardson until 24 August Ted Milligan: United Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) ★★★☆☆ As Ted Milligan stresses, you don't need to be a football fan to appreciate his affectionate homage to the beautiful game. As a character comedy showcase, it's a fantastic calling card for the Plymouth Argyle supporter's skill in embodying a broad variety of eccentric creations and it rattles along with the adrenaline of an end-to-end derby, with the young playmaker putting in a real shift if you'll pardon the parlance. Those who do love the sport though will appreciate his attention to detail and the many knowing winks and nods for the terrace faithful. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Set at the fictional Crubchester United F.C., your stereotypical mismanaged lower league outfit, the hour unfolds like a fly-on-the-wall streaming documentary, with Milligan switching between portraying players, the board and the diehard followers of the team. Despite some initial wobbles and the fatalist attitude of their club captain, Crubchester find some form and ascend the division, their new star Italian striker powering them towards play-off contention. Dense with gags and wordplay, especially effective in skewering football's commercial rapacity through a memorably old school club CEO, the only sizeable criticism is that United doesn't go far enough in departing from the game's abundant clichés, with the team's touchy-feely German manager almost indistinguishable from the real Jürgen Klopp. Jay Richardson until 24 August Disabled Cants Bar 50 (V151) ★★☆☆☆ Benny Shakes is the slightly wobbly but loveable BFG that holds this show together. The bill changes constantly and today's performers come bearing a selection of acronymic diagnoses and range, in no particular order, from bewilderingly bad, through so-so to great delivery/no material. But Benny wraps them all in his warmth. It is a tribute to him that the gig has such a fun vibe. Finally we get local lad Gerard Murphy who is terrific: dark and personal, with a charismatic delivery. Very funny. Comedy? He might be disabled, but he can. KATE COPSTICK until 24 August
Scotsman
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Thor Stenhaug: One Night Stand Baby at Pleasance Courtyard
Thor Stenhaug is set to perform his debut hour One Night Stand Baby at the Pleasance Courtyard, sharing his take on growing up as the child of a one-night-stand, and becoming not just his parents' son, but in many ways, their mutual friend. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... One Night Stand Baby marks Stenhaug's debut hour at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and explores what it's like to grow up as the product of a fleeting encounter, particularly how humour-and heart- can be found in forging your own version of family. This is not a woe-is-me-show, rather, it's a re-examination of the 21st century love story, and how people can surprise us - making life work despite not the most conventional of circumstances. It's the plot twist of romcoms - girl meets boy, girl goes home with boy, two months later girl finds out she's expecting a baby. But this isn't a romcom: it's Thor Stenhaug's origin story. He's the baby. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Speaking of bringing his debut show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Thor Stenhaug said: 'Holy moly, I'm super excited! My parents are actually both coming from Norway to watch the show together. So you might get to see a show, as well as a family reunion.' With a premise this unusual and a delivery this charming, One Night Stand Baby might just be one of the most heartfelt-and hilarious- hours at this year's Fringe. Thor Stenhaug Thor Stenhaug is a Norwegian comedian based in the UK. He has performed as tour support for Fern Brady, Josh Widdicombe, Larry Dean and Jack Dee. Thor is part of a new generation of stand-up comics building their own large audiences online. He's built a big internet presence and performed for some of the top comedy clubs in the UK, bringing his own audiences along with him. Thor Stenhaug: One Night Stand Baby runs from July 30 to August 25 (not 12th) at 20:40 in Bunker 1 at Pleasance Courtyard, with previews on July 30 and 31.
