EDINBURGH 2015 - Review: LOLLY, Pleasance Courtyard, August 16 2015

A peculiar but undeniably enjoyable fifty minutes awaits in the Pleasance Courtyard's 'That' space at this year's Fringe; Londoner Lolly Adefope brings us a local talent show where the host and all participants are played by her, and for the most part, it works well.

Adefope's main character, a novice stand-up comedian called Gemma, is the highlight; I'd seen a short set by her last year (well, I heard one - it was at Comedy In The Dark) and was instantly enamoured. Gemma is one of those "My friends say I'm mad so I'm trying stand-up" types and is frequently very funny indeed, mainly thanks to Adefope's well-honed delivery of the material.

This show having a running time of almost an hour, though, means that Adefope has to include some other characters, and it's at this point that proceedings veer into 'hit and miss' territory: host Wendy Parks and political comedian X get a lot of laughs, which is more than can be said for Horold, whose appeal to get in touch with his supposed son - John Legend, if you're wondering - never really flies.

Some fine-tuning of the material is needed: a moment when the host's mic is 'left on' backstage would have been a highlight if what was overheard was funnier, and there are a few too many lame punchlines (however supposedly intentional they are) here, but Adefope's charm, likeability and stage presence more than compensate.

Lolly continues at the Pleasance Courtyard until August 31