Brighton Fringe is a proper treasure trove of delights, but with over 800 shows scheduled over just over a month, it can be a rather paralysing experience deciding what to go and see. We’ve already given you some of our top picks and you can see our reviews (so far) here, but in the unfathomable event you don’t want to take our word for it, we went to some of our favourite performers to beg them for their top three must-see shows. And no, they haven’t just voted for their friends (we checked).
Sister Brandy Bex
Winners of my Everyone Loves an Underdog bursary. Their show is a truly unique, immersive comedy experience. I watched them do a short set a few years back and never forgot them (I’m still traumatised!). They recently won an award at Leicester Comedy Festival, came runner-up in Sketch Off!, and are going to be HUGE!
Won the Audience Choice award at last year’s Brighton Fringe. I’ve heard so many good things about this show, and the trailer on Instagram blows me away every time I see it. It’s exactly my vibe! [We loved it too – check out our review here.]
For Puck’s Sake by Hobgoblin Theatre Company
I love Shakespeare and any adaptation or twist on the original tales. This performer completely embraces their character, and I’m sold each time I see an image, flyer, or clip on Instagram. I’m very excited to be transported into this world, and I already know I’m going to be totally fixated for the full 50 minutes.
See Sister Brandy Bex: Progress in Work on 7th, 9th, 14th, 27th, 29th, 30th May as well as hosting A Drop of Brandy with Friends on 10th, 17th and 24th May, All That Bex: Pick of the Fringe on 10th, 17th and 24th May and Extravaganza 7 – The Last Laugh on 31st May (yes, this is one busy nurse)
Gaylien de Mars
Beaverhausen by Veronica Von Beaverhausen
Beaver is such a silly sausage, and he really needs your help getting back to Inkle Binkle Boggle Town! A true celebration of queer culture – you’ll be grinning ear to ear by the end of this.
Chronically Sick, Hormonal Slag by Alice Ella
Alice is turning pain into punchlines with musical parodies, a puppet, nipple tassels, stand-up comedy, and a lot of songs about poop. WIth 100+ million views on Instagram, you might recognise this local legend.
If you saw Alex Fincher win Drag Pageant in December, you’ll know EXACTLY why you should be so excited about this one. Production, feature artists, choreography – you’re going to get a SHOW with this album release.
See Gaylien in Unidentified Fluid Other on 12th and 20th May and in Meditations from Mars on 15th and 25th May
Holly Hughes
I wandered into the world of performance through poetry so I will be staying true to my roots and running to this slam extravaganza the second I get off stage on Friday! It was through doing slam poetry competitions that I found the audacity to say ‘HEY! Maybe I should have a microphone, I think I might have some things to say!’ Thank God for that, says you. Seriously though, for anyone who thinks poetry is boring, stuffy, or pretentious, you gotta get yourself to a poetry slam! Come find me there, I’ll be the woman snapping like her life depends on it!
I’m Sorry to Disappoint You All by The 12th Floor
My favourite part of Fringe is throwing myself headfirst out of my comfort zone and going to see shows in wildly different genres. As a child who was openly labelled “the weak one” in gymnastics class aged seven, and was tactfully and consistently given non-dancing roles in school plays, contemporary dance is about as beyond my comfort zone as I can get!
So, I simply have to go and see I’m Sorry to Disappoint You All, partly for the dance, and partly for the title, which makes me feel very seen as a recovering people-pleaser. What makes me feel even more seen is the fact that the show is about “frustrations with the current climate for artists”. Given I am writing this from my childhood bedroom having had to move back in with my parents in order to try and make this whole artist thing work, I think it would be really quite nice to see my financial strife turned into art instead of the miserly failure it so often feels like!
Grace Mulvey’s Work In Progress Show
I have to support the Irish girlies so of course comedian Grace Mulvey is going to be on my list! She also happens to be hilarious. Her bit on Irish mammies defrosting a chicken a week in advance lives in my head rent free.
See Holly in I Want To Speak To Your Manager (How I Was Radicalised And Became…Karen on 14th and 15th May
Crudi Dench
Glenda & Rita Sing The Movie Greats
I’ve seen a heck of a lot of drag in my time, and Glenda and Rita are amongst the most polished I’ve ever seen. Their chemistry is palpable, the vocals are fantastic and the back and forth is tremendously witty. Spending an hour in the company of these two black and white movie starlets is an absolute joy, a must-see if you’re a fan of movies, slick character comedy and Postmodern Jukebox-style numbers.
Rosalie Minnitt: Clementine 2.0 (Work In Progress)
Rosalie’s first show Clementine was an unhinged work of genius, and I have high hopes for this follow-up hour. Clementine takes a Regency-era character and injects her with chronically online humour, a dash of BRAT and many many Silvanian Family dolls to create a wondrously weird show which I howled with laughter throughout. You don’t need to be a fan of period dramas to enjoy Rosalie’s take on them, just a fan of silly, silly business.
Another utterly fabulous cabaret duo, I first saw Bourgeois & Maurice in Edinburgh in 2018 and instantly fell in love with them. Original and catchy pop-infused satirical tunes make for an hour of hilarious fun. Classic Fringe fodder and songs you’ll be itching to find on your favourite streaming service after watching.
See Crudi Dench: Someone Help Her on 28th May
