Review by Marina Funcasta

Underbelly, George Square: Tickets

Bringing a dance-comedy show to Fringe, Stephanie Laing could definitely be called the spearhead of her genre. Bridging the topics of her stand-up through the physical sequences, Laing embraces a disjointed fluidity for the sake of creativity. Refreshing, it is nothing like any comedy show I’ve seen before.

Partly, this is why I was left uncertain about how I was meant to feel at points. Delivering topics like consent, body image, and self-harm in a light-hearted way very often relies on the delivery, and although Laing’s physical aliveness helped underline the corporal nuances of these themes, more often than not, it resulted in a sacrifice of the comedy’s potency.

This said Laing’s intentions are clear; breaking taboos is probably easiest done in comedic genres, as the space created is lighter and seemingly less anchored in real life. Including fragments of dance in these spaces, serious dance styles such as burlesque or belly dancing fundamentally invert the very ground comedians are therefore required to walk on in order to achieve success. This is because no longer able to laugh, as the performer is suddenly rendered mute, the previous giggling atmosphere dissolves into thin air. To rebuild this once is tricky, never mind five times.

Stephanie Laing’s show is driven by an ambition that is not just genius but also necessary. By manipulating comic narratives and using them to discuss topics that ‘small talk’ shies away from, she’s delving into the very foundations of the Fringe. The importance of her work is clear, but whether this ambition fully materializes in the Wee Coo at 2pm is a different matter.

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