Edinburgh Fringe comedy reviews: Stevie Martin | Zoe Coombs Marr | Jojo Sutherland | Gavin Webster | Tony Law

COMEDY

Stevie Martin: Clout ★★★★

Monkey Barrel Comedy (Venue 515) until 25 August

If you spend any time on social media you’ll have encountered Stevie Martin’s lancet-sharp videos (with Lola-Rose Maxwell) about online life, such as the frustrations of choosing a password and trying to prove you’re not a robot. And while many internet stars struggle to translate their appeal onto the stage, Martin has years of live comedy experience and knows exactly how to bring that schtick to life.

One third of the acclaimed Massive Dad sketch trio, Martin has built a clever, knowing and, crucially, hilarious, hour about creating and consuming funny stuff on the internet. The amount of work she must’ve put into this will make your brain spin.

Using about 200 slides controlled from her phone, she marries comical observations about how we live with the way we behave on the internet. She acknowledges that the hard edits necessary for social media are now a part of her live act, so, crikey, it’s fast at times; so much so that you might want to come back a second, or even third, time to catch everything you might have missed.

She also gives us a peek behind the curtain of online success. We learn about what kind of content the algorithm rewards, and shares a memorable example of when her sister posted a clip of her – utterly bereft of vanity – doing a daft face while removing her brace before eating. Suddenly, this effortless, throwaway video was doing crazy numbers, with folks pleading for more footage of her “taking stuff out of herself”.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like having something go viral, lean in. From the dopamine hit to the weirdos, Martin lays it all out for us with wit and dexterity. And, playing beautifully with the idea that we’ve all posted things online that we’re embarrassed or horrified about, she shows us some of her own (invented) stuff from a long, long time ago.

Ashley Davies

COMEDY

Zoe Coombs Marr: Every Single Thing in My Whole Entire Life ★★★

Monkey Barrel Comedy (Venue 515) until 25 August

Oh, you like spreadsheets, do you? Well, let us introduce you to Zoe Coombs Marr, whose use of these quickly evolving information storage systems will make even the most passionate spreadhead look like a lost tourist.

Leaving behind her usual conceptual character shows, the likeable Australian comic takes a breezy approach to interrogating what we remember of our lives, what visual records are kept, and how technology presents us with a version of our experiences. For example, when your phone offers up an unprompted reel of delicious meals you’ve eaten, it won’t always get things right – in her case, thank God.

In Every Single Thing in My Whole Entire Life, Coombs Marr shows us her detailed spreadsheets, in which she’s listed stories about every aspect of her existence, past and present. There are moments during which audience members are allowed to pick the topics on which she talks, which means no two shows are the same.

As a result, a lot of what we get here from the past Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee is a collection of entertaining anecdotes from her vast archive, and it’ll feel particularly relatable – inspiring and comforting, actually – for people with ADHD.

Ashley Davies

COMEDY

Jojo Sutherland: I Wish You Were My Mum ★★★

The Stand Comedy Club (Venue 5) until 26 August

You can absolutely believe that people come up to Jojo Sutherland and say “I wish you were my mum”. Everyone in the room is wishing she were their best pal, and for an hour, perched in the Stand, pint in hand, she is. This is an intensely personal show, with her family at the heart of it – particularly her relationships with her own mother and her daughter, all relayed in proper Scots vernacular. My heart leaps at the inclusion of the word 'snotters'. You just do not hear it often enough. There is a fair amount of score keeping along the way, from Jojo's very loose relationship with school attendance, through smoking and periods, cocaine at Christmas and some truly dreadful fashion choices to the all pervading powers of the Catholic Church. The show is peppered with little snippets from her appearance on Wife Swap. Oh yes. 2005 and Jojo was just as forthright then as she is now. The show gives time to Jojo's thoughts on generational change – for good or for bad – with the many 'gens' from Boomers to Z in the audience being a testament to Jojo's appeal. It is also about forgiveness and it is rather lovely.

Kate Copstick

COMEDY

Gavin Webster: An Hour of Swearing and Shouting ★★★★

The Stand Comedy Club (Venue 5) until 25 August

Never, ever think that Gavin Webster is just a shouty, sweary Tynesider who does jokes about burning orphans. To be fair, Gavin Webster is a shouty, sweary Tynesider and he does do a joke about burning orphans but this show is like a refreshing pint after endless oat milkshakes. And he makes a very good point about the orphans. As it happens, Webster is also a terrific character actor – from 'the man who caught woke' and duelling hack American comics, to the Crimewatch UK re-enactions. The show's title (deliberately, I feel, Webster is nobody's fool) undersells its content, and its skillful construction. It is a likeable combination to hear thought provoking content delivered in old fashioned club style. Having said which, you might not agree with everything he says.

I usually loathe comics starting any part of their show with “a man came up to me after a show and said ...” but Webster's routine about some of the outrageous feedback he gets online creates a sight seldom seen in comedy, that of an entire room rocking backwards and forwards in hysterical harmony. Anyone who say his show 'All Young People Are C*nts' knows that Gav' is pretty straightforward about his likes and dislikes and, here, he is fabulously vicious where hippies, Loose Women and smug PC men banging on about domestic violence are concerned. It is one of the most impressive things about this show that his targets are, in the main, fresh and unbruised by lesser comics. There is very little time to catch your breath between routines that will reduce you to more helpless laughter. In his final section, about 'language' on TV we are treated to a magnificent display of what I can only describe as shouty, sweary comedy genius.

Kate Copstick

COMEDY

Tony Law: The Law Also Rises ★★★

Monkey Barrel Comedy (the Hive) (Venue 313) until 12 August

It’s always a joy to see wild Canadian comic Tony Law. You know there will be a menagerie in his stories, and sure enough there are monkeys, eagles, cats and cows. There is a whole host of people too, from northerners mispronouncing the names of football teams to posh southerners talking about mental health. With his roaring voice and his absurd imagination there is always something to laugh at in his stories. And there’s a strong streak of anti-comedy, with Law offering a running commentary on his own act.

He’s chosen to wear a ludicrously unsuitable outfit consisting of woollen trousers, kerchief, top hat and gardening gloves. In the sweltering heat of the caves this becomes a running gag. Law, who is in his early fifties, has decided to adopt the persona of a hoary comedy ancestor, baffled by the new found ways and refusing to engage with the modern corporate world. He’s enjoying himself and so are we, even if he’s offering us a mish mash of his favourite bits of previous shows. There’s no high concept, no great structure, definitely no deep dive into mental health, but Tony Law is here. And that’s enough.

Claire Smith