EDINBURGH 2017: Pick Of The Programme - Comedy

With thousands of comedy shows to choose from at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, BroadwayWorld reviewer Natalie O'Donoghue has narrowed down her top picks from the comedy section of the programme.

Ian Smith: Snowflake

Snowflake is Ian Smith's fourth solo show. The vague programme blurb describes this as a show about "uniqueness", but having seen two of Smith's previous Fringe shows I'm already confident recommending this as one of the funniest shows you will see this festival.

Rachel Parris: Keynote

Rachel Parris's 2016 Edinburgh Fringe show Best Laid Plans was one of the few comedy shows to warrant a 5* BroadwayWorld review at last year's festival. Keynote promises a mix of stand up, character and musical comedy about Parris being asked to deliver an inspirational talk at her old school.

Vikki Stone: Concerto for Comedian and Orchestra

Vikki Stone has been sorely missed the previous two Fringes, so I am delighted to see she's back with her "one night only" engagement Concerto for Comedian and Orchestra at the Pleasance Courtyard on 27 August. Stone will perform her brand-new orchestral work, alongside one of Scotland's finest youth orchestras: the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland Camerata.

Colin Hoult/Anna Mann: How We Stop The Fascists

A key sign of an excellent comedy show is that almost a full year after Coulin Hoult's 2016 Anna Mann Fringe show, I'm still quoting lines from it. Having effectively cured all depression in last year's performance, actress Anna Mann returns to take on the terrifying rise of fascism.

Janey Godley: For Godley's Sake!

Returning to the Free Fringe this year is the Glasgow Queen of Comedy Janey Godley - perhaps best known for the "welcome" she gave Donald Trump at Turnberry and her recent political voiceovers on Twitter. While the ethos of the festival is to give a donation of what a show is worth, Godley insists that nobody should be too poor to see comedy and "if you're skint, DO NOT put a penny in that bucket".

The full 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme is available at www.edfringe.com

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