August 20, 2025  British Theatre Guide

Review of 10 Things They Hate About Me

Shinanne Higgins delivers a bold and vivacious stand-up performance that offers a vibrant and unapologetically honest insight into her life through the lens of “Ten Red Flags”. Each flag represents a chapter of personal history, spanning childhood traumas, cultural quirks, and the trials of adulthood—all delivered with wit and raw vulnerability. From the outset, Higgins captivates the audience with stories from her Irish upbringing, including the infamous wooden spoon, a symbol of fear and discipline in many households. She reflects on the rigid and often uncaring education system of 1980s Ireland, where even asking to go to the toilet required mastering the phrase “an bhfuil cead agam dul amach go dtí an leithreas?”—a darkly humorous reminder of the absurd rules children once navigated. Audience interaction plays a role, with selected members holding her symbolic red flags throughout the show. While this adds a visual and participatory element, there is a sense that the show could have benefitted from even more audience engagement—perhaps a few more moments of improvisation or direct conversation would have elevated the shared experience further and would have shown more generosity. She needs to have confidence to play more in the space, which is quite a small, intimate environment. As the performance unfolds, Higgins delves into deeper and more contemporary topics: her neurodiversity diagnosis, grappling with aging and the notion of a “haunted womb”, trying to be the ideal feminist and allowing herself to have “notions”—a cheeky nod to self-awareness and social commentary. She talks of failed relationships and dates, but life is good really because she has found love with her “rabbit”. Her delivery is fearless, often brash and occasionally crude, but always underpinned by sincerity and spirit. Overall, this is a stand-up show with heart, edge and a refreshing dose of honesty. Shinanne Higgins brings assertive opinions and comedy in equal measure—a performer unafraid to hold up her own warning signs for all to see and laugh along with us as she does. Click Here

August 19, 2025  One4Review

Review of Kate Pinchuck: Don't Panic!

South African–born, UK-based Kate Pinchuck opens her show not by bounding on stage, but with a wryly inventive recorded airplane announcement. We’re asked to fasten our seatbelts, expect a little turbulence, and note where the emergency exits are. It’s more than just a neat gag—it sets the tone for an hour where Pinchuck is both pilot and in-flight entertainment, steering us through storms of honesty and humour with the calm authority of someone who knows exactly where she’s going. The central question she circles is deceptively simple: does therapy actually work? And Pinchuck has the credentials to explore it. With two psychologist parents and more than a few sessions on her own record, she’s practically been raised on the stuff. She mines her experiences with killer precision, making her observations feel both deeply personal and universally funny. There are break-ups with therapists who’ve moved practices or even entire countries; the infuriating way therapists guide you toward conclusions you’ve already arrived at; TikTok’s wild west of self-diagnosis; and sibling rivalries weaponised into full-scale psychological warfare. One routine about clocking which meds you’ll be prescribed by spotting the logo on your therapist’s pen is inspired—it’s sharp, clever, and laugh-out-loud accurate. But Pinchuck is no one-trick pony, and Don’t Panic! isn’t confined to the therapy couch. She describes herself as a drama nerd, and that background bubbles through in witty songs and sharply observed character moments. A brilliant routine about “the big shop” transforms the mundane into absurd comic theatre, while her take on handling a partner’s ex is delivered with a wit so sharp you could cut glass with it. She also folds the audience into the mix, running a semi-workshop where we share our fears. In lesser hands this could feel awkward, but Pinchuck makes it sparkle, turning the moment into something playful, communal, and unexpectedly moving. What sets her apart is her presence. Pinchuck is both playful and authoritative, the rare performer who makes you feel she’s speaking directly to you while still commanding the whole room. She has the natural storytelling instincts of someone who knows how to build a world, land a punchline, and carry you along for the ride. She’s focused but never heavy-handed, warm without pandering, self-aware without a trace of smugness. This is comedy with real heart and purpose—the kind of show that sneaks under your skin. You walk in with your own bundle of worries, and you walk out lighter, laughing, and maybe even with a fresh perspective or two tucked away. It’s good to talk, sure. But it’s even better to laugh—with Pinchuck at the controls. A real find, sharp and assured, with the talent and ideas to go a very long way. Click Here

August 8, 2025  One4Review

Review of Let Me Be the Cool Aunt

This show is set in one of the most comfortable Fringe venues I have ever been in so sit back, relax and enjoy the show. Sophie starts the show with guitar in hand and a singalong which cleverly gets the audiences attention and interaction from the off, her energy and enthusiasm is evident giving you a warm vibe and a ‘Happy to be here feeling’. Although this is a comedy musical, the back story throughout the show Is Sophie becoming an Aunty for the first time (Hence the title), she certainly has mixed feelings about the prospect on becoming an aunt and brings those feelings out through her songs. I felt at times her singing and performance was similar to Kate Bush or Alanis Morissette, due to her catchy lyrics, rock star image and at times mentally imbalanced performance. The Brisbane born performer moved to London and returned home to visit her newly born Niece before returning back to London, this moment in her life is captured through songs such as ‘The London song’, ‘I love you’, the ‘Ex Pat’ song, the ‘Instagram’ song and the ‘Euro summer’ song all performed brilliantly with a bit of humour included. Sophie then brings it down a bit with a brief meditation moment and another song before taking us through the process of applying for a job with the clever use of some improvised cue cards. Sophie concludes the show with the thoughtful ‘Pregnant with myself’ song and then with the use of a Violin, she ended the performance and received a well-deserved round of applause. Sophie is a talented guitar player with song writing skills and excellent vocals, this is part of the free fringe, and it’s a show that is certainly well worth seeing! Click Here

August 6, 2025  EdFringeReview

Review of Eating Satsumas in the Sun and Forgetting About Heartbreak

EdFringeReview - 'Eating Satsumas in the Sun and Forgetting About Heartbreak'

"An hour of beautiful poetry, this is a hidden gem of the Free Fringe." Click Here

August 6, 2025  Portbello Book Blog

Review of Eating Satsumas in the Sun and Forgetting About Heartbreak

Portbello Book Blog - Review of 'Eating Satsumas in the Sun and Forgetting About Heartbreak'

"An hour of storytelling and poetry in the company of Emily Layton is an hour well spent. This talented poet performs a selection of her work covering themes of grief, love, motherhood and friendship...The poetry is celebratory, introspective, challenging and heartwarming, covering many events and times in the poet’s life which she describes as transformative. This is a very open, honest and raw show, and I found myself by turns entertained, amused and also very moved. Highly recommended." Click Here

August 5, 2025  One4Review

Review of Luke Connell: Bloody Marvellous

The word for this show is ‘gentle’. Mr Connell is a tall gentleman with a genial manner presenting a lovely wander through various elements of medievality. Mr Connell is a professor of medieval studies, and as a result of one particular – repeated – word choice in translation from medieval French, this show probably isn’t suitable for children. Which is a shame because: 1. the word isn’t used offensively or aggressively, rather as an accurate translation, and 2. I can imagine children aged about ten finding the rest of this show equally fascinating and hilarious, and not just for its reference to the medical uses of poo (in the Bristol Stool Chart) and it’s medieval equivalent (colours of wee). The plight of future medievalists notwithstanding, this is a lovely gentle post-prandial sort of show, at least in part because of the venue’s seating arrangements. The show’s premise-slash-jumping-off-point is that we’re all medieval in some way, and that the medieval period was just better. Mr Connell takes us through various examples from topics including medicine, maps and names for dogs, and explains, with on screen examples of his thesis. Delivery is gentle, and there’s learning as well as laughing, without anything being too much to disturb the digestion of lunch. This is an easy-listening easy-learning sort of show, a welcome – and gentle – break from the loud, forceful, demanding, comedy norm. Click Here

August 5, 2025  Edinburgh Reviews

Review of 10 Things They Hate About Me

This is a robust, solid slice of back-room Fringe comedy. While some moments land with more punch than others, the entire package is delivered with charm and a defiant honesty. Shinanne Higgins has crafted a bracing, honest, and very funny hour of comedy about the trials of modern dating. A show that begins with a song for a condom promises not to pull its punches, and it delivers. Click Here

August 4, 2025  Entertainment Now

Review of Luke Connell: Bloody Marvellous

It’s really quite joyful when somebody loves what they do so much it spills over away from their profession and into the rest of their lives. Such is how it seems to be with Luke Connell, professor of medieval French literature and the most medieval of us all – we are told – even if we are all a bit medieval too. It’s an unusual premise to start with, but Connell’s tongue-in-cheek parallels between the medieval and the modern hold a little bit of water along with their multiple piques of interest. With the aid of every teacher’s favourite modern pal, PowerPoint slides, he educates with enthusiasm and a contagious smile. It’s a taster hour packed with medieval highlights, from medicine to mythical creatures brought to you with the aid of an authentically named dog. Connell succeeds in making the medieval accessible, from its history to its science, tiers of angels and bawdy monks included. Bloody Marvellous isn’t laugh-out-loud hilarious by any means, but it succeeds in communicating just why Luke Connell disregarded other childhood ambitions in favour of pursuing his love affair with the period and sharing it with others. Fascinating medical ingredients read like a Grimm Fairy Tale contents page, and the wonder of suspended disbelief from the people who conjured griffins and formicaleons as possibilities in the world give hints at what it was like to believe in the impossible. Who wouldn’t want to spend an hour in such a world? Click Here

August 2, 2025  The QR

Review of Let Me Be the Cool Aunt

Hopefully, I won’t offend musical comedian Sophie Bannister by saying she must number among the most adorable performers gracing this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Brimming over with youthful energy and bright-eyed enthusiasm, she single-mindedly sets out to entertain her audience. The back room at the Brass Monkey, dominated by huge seat cushions made for whole body sprawling, has confounded more experienced acts than Sophie’s. Much to her credit, she embraces the weirdly laid-back and intimate space, though I think she could take a little more initiative in walking amongst her audience. The show has a simple enough concept: Sophie moved from Brisbane to London, leaving behind her ‘obviously less mature’ brother and his pregnant partner. Fated to become a ‘Cool Aunt’ she muses on what it means to be an aunt, and an adult suddenly confronted with the need to make new friends as an expat. With her trusty guitar and looping pedal to hand and foot (not the infectious kind), she explores all the above and more. It could, of course, be highly cringey – it’s not – not in the least. She’s a strong songwriter with an ear for a witty verse, and a nice touch on the strings (she plays the violin too). Her decision to adopt the audience as her unborn nephew or niece is maybe one cuteness too far, but it’s hardly a sin. This adopted kid was still particularly impressed when she dived into electro-house, and by her cleverly worded ‘Manifest’ chant. However, if I were to label the show’s genres, I’d leave the ‘musical comedy’, but ditch the ‘comedy’ in favour of ‘storytelling’, because you learn quite a bit about Sophie, her life, and views on such thorny issues as immigration, FOMO, flaky suitors, and going Instagram-official with new friends. Charming and likeable, you’ll bop along happily, chuckling now and again, whilst smiling the rest of the time. It’s neither the deepest, most meaningful show you’ll ever see, nor is it the funniest, but if it’s an 11am appointment with a thoroughly likeable and entertaining human being, Sophie Bannister will do you just fine. Click Here

August 2, 2025  Ed Fringe Review

Review of Let Me Be the Cool Aunt

Brisbane native, Sophie Banister gives an energetic one-woman performance in, ‘Let Me Be the Cool Aunt’. The hour centres around the lifestyle of an expat in London and the changes one faces when moving to a completely different cultural environment. Her love for home reinforces this notion and recurs throughout the show as something we all, perhaps, can relate to. Armed with few to no props, it gives a story of her life’s adventures through the guise of musical comedy, sprinkled with soft guitar strings and versatile vocal range, needless to say, this performance is worth the watch. ... Click Here