Who: Bethany Black
What: Unwinnable
Where: The Stand Comedy Club 2 – Stand 2
When: 3.50pm
Why:
If you don’t already follow Bethany Black on Twitter you really should. You’ve probably read and possibly shared some of her tweets already. They have a habit of going viral due her ability to distill the essence of topical news issues into a few choice words. Unwinnable allows for expansion on her unique and thoughtful twist on the world and all its ridiculousness.
The show flits from the micro to the macro in a sporadic but pleasing rhythm. It works because she has such a clever line in segues that binds everything together and gives it all a conversational flow. One minute she’s talking about being accosted by Manc scrotes for carrying a bumper pack of toilet roll down the road, the next she is dissecting freedom of speech.
From the outset Black explains that she is diagnosed with various conditions, including ADHD, OCD, PTSD (all the Ds she jokes), agoraphobia, and autism spectrum condition. She is relieved that these have been identified and can therefore be treated. She also talks about her same-sex Swedish partner (“I know! I should be at home!”) and briefly her trans identity.
Black makes light of this for being a virtue-signalling audience’s wet dream, but her superb show is actually testament to why diversity and representation is so vital in comedy. Not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because it allows for hilarious new takes you otherwise wouldn’t experience. Black isn’t worthy or pious, she’s chaotic and brilliantly funny.
As baffled as Black sometimes feels about what’s happening around the world, she somehow manages to nail it every time with succinct precis. She very much makes a mockery of the alt-right opine that ‘you can’t joke about anything these days’ by dotting her act with hot topic easter eggs throughout. It turns out you can joke about anything if you’re not a prick about it.
Black is brilliantly different to anything else you’ll see at the Fringe, and fighting the good fight with plenty of laughs.
You can buy tickets for Unwinnable here.
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