EDINBURGH 2023: Review: BEST IN CLASS, Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters

Founded by Sian Davies in 2018 after she was dropped by an Edinburgh Fringe promoter for having to crowdfund the £1800 audition fee, Best in Class seeks to promote the working-class voices that have historically been kept out of the comedy scene by extortionate costs (and, at times, exclusionary attitudes).

Scores of hopeful comedians auditioned to make the 2023 roster but only a handful were selected; crucially, none of them paid a fee to participate.

Katie Mitchell was first on stage, seeming nervous at first but quickly easing into the show with some audience engagement and a sincerity that won everyone over immediately. Her commentary about social mobility and class identity crisis, along with some self-deprecating humour, set the tone perfectly.

The line-up is particularly interesting; the two main acts, Jen Nolan and Jacob Nussey, could not be more different in stage personality. It is a great decision to have them back-to-back as their humour contrasts well and it keeps the show feeling fresh. Nolan’s confident and energetic delivery keeps the audience laughing though her set in its entirety. Her observational humour about how cosplaying as working class and traveling to working class areas like they’re going to the zoo have become fashionable with middle class Britons is received well with big laughs, as are her anecdotes about growing up in East London.   

Where Nolan’s set is fuelled by her enthusiasm and energy, Nussey has a comedic apathy in every line of his set, the crowd reacting to punchlines at different times as its impact hits them in the wake of the understated delivery. It’s hilariously nonchalant.

There’s an undercurrent of some dark humour that gets more pronounced as the set goes on, though it’s never the main focus of the set. At times Nussey looks quietly stunned (or completely unbothered) at the uproarious laughter unfurling before him and it adds a further layer of humour onto the material. Both of these comedians are naturally hilarious and adept at holding their audience’s attention, each in their own unique way and it’s abundantly clear why they were selected for Best in Class 2023.

As the Fringe festival itself seeks to change in response to criticism about its lack of diversity, shows like Best in Class cannot be celebrated enough. Growing up working class just forty minutes away from Scotland’s capital is enough to feel worlds apart; change needs to happen to address the social imbalance at arts festivals like the Fringe and open it up to fresh audiences and performers worldwide.

Best in Class is wonderfully funny and a true celebration of working-class comedy in the UK and seeks to do just that.

Best in Class runs at Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters until August 27.

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