A review of Best of Edinburgh Showcase Show, Fringe 2024

An Edinburgh Festival Fringe tip for comedy fans is to get a “Best of the Fest” showcase early. It’s a chance to sample many comedians from a curated list. 

If you’re not sure what you’re in the mood for or just want to avoid spending a whole hour with a comedian you’re not enjoying, a showcase not only helps you find a new favourite, but it’ll derisk the whole investment.

The downside is that you don’t get to pick which comedians will be in your lineup.

I went to the Best of Edinburgh Showcase Show 2024 in the Pleasance Cabaret Bar because, year after year, it’s a showcase that doesn’t disappoint.

Here’s who I saw;

Jojo Sutherland

Our host was Jojo, which means our time with her was split between other gigs. As host, Jojo did a great job of warming up the crowd, keeping us entertained, and appropriately reminding us that she, too, has a show.

I thought I’d seen Jojo before, and it turns out I had and enjoyed her jokes too. It was Fin-laden, her eldest daughter, who reminded me. I can’t say I relate to where Jojo is with life now as a divorced mum in her 50s, but who says comedy needs to be tailored to my life? In fact, it might not be politic, but I have to list the Showcase host as a contender for the show’s highlight.

[Jojo’s show is: “I Wish You Where My Mum“]

Justin Moorhouse

Justin kicked off the Showcase and is the first of three names who took the stage today who were entirely new to me. I really did not know what to expect as a dad-next-door, but I might have a white van emerge from behind the curtain.

From the outset, Justin joked about the way he looks. I think he looks far more normal than I do, but I take his point that, as middle-aged white men, either of us would look suspicious if found lurking in the woods. As it happens, Justin likes going for walks in the woods.

I’d describe Justin’s comedy as quick-witted and somewhat dark. It’s a little edgy but not confrontational, at least not in the Showcase. I’d leave it at that, but he discovered that there were people from Malta in the audience and proceeded to fire off a series of Maltese one-liners that suggest he’s rather well-read! I was impressed.

I’d go see Justin again.

[Justin’s show is: The Greatest Performance of My Life]

Zoe Brownstone

Zoe looked like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth, and when she introduced herself as Canadian, I thought we’d get a set of wholesome jokes.

Oh no! I was wrong. Zoe flirts with being an edge lord. She’s Jewish and can, therefore, make jokes about it, about the horrible war, and she does. World War jokes, too. COVID jokes. Drug jokes.

While nothing seems to be off-limit if it means getting a chuckle from the audience, I’ll note that Zoe makes jokes at her own expense. She might be a tax dodger (a confession she makes that might not be true), but there’s something immediately soothing about a comedian who is as willing to make themselves the butt of a joke as she is any other subject.

I suspect Zoe will find it easy to get booked into venues, but she’s a little too spicy for me.

[Zoe’s show is: A Bite Of Yours]

Mark Simmons

Mark is a tall guy and I’m glad I wasn’t sitting at the very front of the little venue or I’d have to crank my arthritic neck painfully up to see his face.

Thankfully, despite his height, Mark projects a friendly, charismatic, and reassuring vibe. Of all the Showcase, his tone was the friendliest, despite getting some curveballs through his audience participation that seemed to give him pause. Mind you, who the heck has no idea what Dungeons & Dragons is these days? Hasn’t he seen Stranger Things?

Mark’s set was divided into two. The first half is a familiar routine of observational insight and storytelling, with jokes weaving the patter together. The second teases out good one-liners from the audience as he riffs off people’s backgrounds, hobbies, and the audience’s own stories. He can think on his feet.

[Marks’ show is: More Jokes]

Ian Stone

Ian Stone is now a familiar face and it seems barely a Best of Edinburgh Showcase happens without him making me laugh.

Stone’s clearly a smart guy, with comedy rooted in the inequality of life and used as a way to deal with it. Today’s sample of Stone felt a little more brisk than previous years, a little more personal, and it often looped back to his age. He’s got half a decade on me but doesn’t look it, so I’m wondering what he’s anxious about.

It all rather begs the question – if Stone keeps on making me laugh in Showcases, then why have I never booked a ticket to his full-length show? I’m not quite sure, perhaps I’m being timid, perhaps Stone gets lost between the gap as I try and book some big names and some newcomers. I’m not going to engage in a titanic re-arranging of my calendar to address this in 2024, but (providing I remember – and perhaps that’s the problem) I will seriously consider it for 2025.

[Ian Stone is Keeping it Together]

Overall

Best of Edinburgh Showcase Show is a good ticket to get. Mine was a sold-out show for a clash-with-lunch on a preview day.

You’ll get different comedians than I did but, like me, the buffet approach is perfect if you want to sample something new.