Review by Mhairi Sime

Chloe Petts presents rage and honesty in a revelatory comedic hour about the duality of their personalities, climate change and the therapeutic nature of the World Cup.

After the last tour, where Petts presented real-world issues politely and kindly, they are letting their anger shine through and taking the audience along on their journey of self-discovery. With confident and charismatic delivery, Petts is at their most naturally humourous during off-the-cuff audience interactions.

The audience never has to fear an awkward pause, as Petts succeeds in maintaining a consistent pace throughout the hour, ensuring the audience’s attention never wavers. From initially insulting the audience, to the final reckoning of the importance of empathy, the show has unpredictable twists and turns, while never veering too far from the main theme.

Petts manages to encapsulate the rage felt by simply existing in modern society, without ever giving the impression of preaching to their audience. The show consists of an eclectic and entrancing mixture of amusing anecdotes and insights into Petts’ personal life, conversations with their therapist, and their beliefs about how the world perceives them.

Appealing to a wide variety of audiences, Petts’ performance has something for everyone, with the history of football rivalries, their ongoing feud with their therapist Vanessa and conversations regarding gender identity galore. With yet another sell-out run and extra dates added, Chloe Petts is guaranteed to become an Edinburgh Fringe mainstay, and the reasons for it are evident to all that attend If You Can’t Say Anything Nice.