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New York Times

Rosie O'Donnell and Eating the Rich: 7 Buzzy Shows at Edinburgh Fringe

'24 Hour Diner People' Some of the most talked-about comedy gigs at this year's Fringe are character routines rather than traditional stand-up shows. And the buzziest of the buzzy is Lorna Rose Treen, whose show is set in a diner with characters like a waitress who eats her tips, a truck driver with ridiculously long arms and a nerdy teenager who dreams of entrapping a jock. Treen's absurdity and charm have been winning over audiences and critics alike, and some reviewers have likened her to 'French and Saunders,' one of Britain's most beloved sketch comedy duos. Before her run this month, Treen had already won a large fan base with off-the-wall videos posted to Instagram and TikTok featuring other rising British character comedians like Ada Player and Alice Cockayne. (They're both selling out shows at this year's Fringe, too.) In a recent interview, Treen said she thought character comedians were drawing Fringe audiences because they 'loved the escapism' of entering the weird worlds that the comedians create — especially at a time when the news is depressing. Whatever the reason, she keeps adding new shows, and they keep selling out. — ALEX MARSHALL Through Aug. 23 at the Pleasance Courtyard, then at the Soho Theater in London from Sept. 8-13. 'Common Knowledge' The actor and comedian Rosie O'Donnell found herself in the headlines in June when President Trump threatened on social media to revoke her U.S. citizenship because she had spoken out against him. The high-profile spat has inevitably fueled interest in her new Fringe show, 'Common Knowledge,' which played at the start of the festival and wrapped up last week. But she doesn't dwell on the episode for very long in a show that is primarily about her family. O'Donnell, a New York native whose father hailed from County Donegal in northwestern Ireland, emigrated to Dublin in January because she felt uncomfortable with the idea of raising her autistic, nonbinary child, Clay, in Trump's America. Via a cozy slide-show, she acquaints audiences with Clay and their story, and with the Irish side of her family. There are affectionate riffs on Clay's neurodivergent idiosyncrasies, and some funny fish-out-of-water anecdotes as O'Donnell tries to wrap her head around Irish social mores. The show is a tender meditation on the responsibilities of parenthood, and the challenges and delights of raising a child who is different from the norm. It's personal, but given the context, it also feels implicitly political. On the night I attended at the Gilded Balloon in Edinburgh, the crowd responded with rapturous enthusiasm to the show's message of inclusivity, optimism and basic decency. — HOUMAN BAREKAT Returns Oct. 9 at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. 'Eat the Rich (But Maybe Not Me Mates X)' If it can feel like everyone at the Fringe is hunting for the next 'Fleabag,' then 'Eat the Rich,' a one-woman comedic play, will inevitably draw such comparisons. Jade Franks's debut show, based on her experiences as a working-class student from Liverpool, England, attending the University of Cambridge, also adds a dose of class warfare to the formula. Franks wrote and stars in the show, which has won a Fringe First award, and unflinchingly sends up the recognizable but often bewildering set of class rules that govern the English upper crust. Her attempts to navigate those customs are good comedic fodder, and pretty much everything about her — her accent; her long, sparkly nails; her high heels; and even her instinct to buy a round of drinks — ends up being out of place among her more privileged classmates. So she leads a double life working as a cleaner, a job forbidden by the school's rules, and something she has to hide. But it's the show's sharp message about classism that's really resonating with Edinburgh audiences, highlighting how stifling and funny, but also morally questionable, it can be to try to fall in with a wealthy and elitist crowd. — JILLIAN RAYFIELD Through Aug. 25 at Pleasance Courtyard — Bunker One. 'Ohio' The husband-and-wife American indie duo Abigail and Shaun Benson have carved a distinctive niche making hybrid performance pieces that combine semi-autobiographical storytelling with electro-infused folk music. In the United States, they have amassed a cult following with shows exploring themes of childhood, love, death and grief. But they are little known in Europe and are making a Fringe debut with 'Ohio,' produced by Francesca Moody Productions, a company whose strong track record of picking winners ('Baby Reindeer,' 'Fleabag') invariably drives up interest in its Fringe shows. 'Ohio' is about Shaun's struggle to come to terms with degenerative hearing loss. The music is hauntingly evocative: Traditional-style folk songs are blended with other influences — Shema chants, cascading beats and eerie, technology-assisted vocal harmonies — but a sound evoking tinnitus encroaches ominously as the story progresses. Abigail and Shaun are both hugely talented singers, but it's their affable whimsicality as storytellers that makes this a theatrical experience rather than a concert. The songs are punctuated with snippets of narrative, at once deeply sincere and disarmingly playful, and the show has the spiritually intimate vibe of a church group meeting. There's nothing else quite like it at the Fringe. — HOUMAN BAREKAT Through Aug. 24 at Assembly Roxy, then at the New Vic in London from Sept. 30 through Oct. 24. 'The Horse of Jenin' With war in Gaza ongoing, a lot of media attention at the start of this year's Fringe turned to how the conflict might play out at the festival. There was even a brief furor when a venue canceled shows by two Jewish comedians, saying that its bar staff had raised safety concerns. (One of those acts, Rachel Creeger, is now performing her 'Ultimate Jewish Mother' act at another venue.) The Palestinian actor and comedian Alaa Shehada has also been generating hype with a show that finishes with Israel's response to the Hamas-led attacks of October 2023. Shehada's 'The Horse of Jenin' is a one-man play about growing up in the city of Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Some parts are like a stand-up gig, with Shehada interacting with the crowd; for others, he uses masks and mime to embody characters including his best friend, mother and a beloved teacher. Many audience members have been turning up wearing the kaffiyeh, the scarf popular throughout the Middle East, in a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinians. But several five-star reviews suggest that Shehada deserves the hype, regardless of what's happening in Gaza. — ALEX MARSHALL Through Aug. 25 at the Pleasance Queen Dome, then at the Bush Theater in London from Nov. 20 through Dec. 20. 'This Must Be Heaven' With so many stand-up comedy shows focused on current events or serious personal themes, John Tothill's new show is standing out — and providing refreshing counterpoint — by merrily exploring the upsides of gluttony and instant gratification. He weaves his own experiences, including a disastrous gig on a cruise ship, with the story of Edward Dando, a real-life figure in 1800s London who repeatedly landed in prison for feasting on hundreds of oysters in restaurants before revealing that he had no money to pay. Tothill finds this dedication to indulgence commendable. Another part of the show looks back to last year's Fringe, when Tothill's appendix burst and he continued performing for more than a week. (That's dedication.) Tothill's cheerful willingness to endure bodily harm for the sake of the Fringe — he partly funded a past run by entering a paid malaria vaccine trial — might be part of why the show is striking a chord with audiences and getting rave reviews. — JILLIAN RAYFIELD Through Aug. 24 at Beneath at Pleasance Courtyard. 'Primal Bog' Many Fringe-goers head to the festival hoping to see something truly unhinged and out-there. This year, the strangest show grabbing the attention of many — many! — reviewers, and some award juries, is 'Primal Bog,' performed by Rosa Garland. It starts with Garland shuffling onstage naked and then urinating into a vase. Soon, she is covering herself in thick orange gloop and declaring, 'I'm Gwyneth Paltrow.' (The goo, Garland adds, is available at a 'very accessible price point.') Later, a tattooist in fetish gear comes onstage to ink Garland's leg. Garland, a clown and burlesque performer, gained traction here two years ago for 'Trash Salad,' a show in which she plucked vegetables 'from all sorts of unlikely places.' The gross-out elements of 'Primal Bog' would have generated some festival buzz on their own, but the show has real emotional heft, too. 'Primal Bog' isn't really about being shocked; it's about feeling happy with your body and desires — even if your impulse is to slather yourself in goo. — ALEX MARSHALL Through Aug. 24 at Downstairs at Assembly Roxy.