Edinburgh 2022: Review: EMILY WILSON: FIXED, Pleasance Courtyard

Lauded by the likes of SNL's Heidi Gardner and comedy troupe Please Don't Destroy, Emily Wilson finally makes her Edinburgh Fringe debut, bringing with her the ultimate underdog story of X Factor legends AusEm, a tale so epic, so incredible, so unbelievable that it couldn't possibly be told until now... and because she signed an NDA but that's not important.

The show opens with a clip of Emily as a very young child singing to her father behind the camera before then cutting to a slue of vlog posts from Emily's teenage years (there are... a lot of "hey guys!") before officially kicking into Emily's opening number, a song about the embarassment of looking back at your viral footprint.

It is a song that almost everyone will relate to, looking back at cringe inducing photos, dumb internet trends, and Facebook posts. It is the songs lyrics and relatability that makes it as funny as it is but Wilson's old posts appearing on the screen and her hilariously over the top dance moves cause for a lot of laughter.

Throughout the rest of the show Emily would make use of the large screen behind her in order to tell the story of her experiences on X Factor. The combinations of video alongside her stand up and music is a unique one, one that feels contemporary whilst also perfectly incapsulating the very idea of the show; what's on the internet will stay there forever.

Using a video to riff on is not exactly a fresh concept, it makes up a large portion of the content on YouTube, TikTok etc. Furthermore, stand up comedians have used this concept before themselves in TV Shows such as Harry Hill's TV Burp, Russell Howard's Good News and Russell Brand's Ponderland. However, what is unique is using this concept live on stage during an hour of stand up. It is easy to see why it is rarely used explicitly during stand up, the constant change of medium could cause for issues in pacing. However, Emily Wilson perfects it for this show.

It was a risk for sure but the show's writing as well as the direction from Sam Blumenfeld ensure that the show is as tight as can be and packs a punch through it's pacing, comedy and music.

What really ties the show together - other than Emily's experiences on X Factor being genuinely fascinating - is Wilson's personality. Her persona on stage is insanely charismatic and animated to the point that Emily Wilson resembles the character of Katie Mitchell from The Mitchell's vs the Machines. Not only does her charisma allow for the pacing to work and the jokes to land but it adds a humility to her which allows for the show to just work. We can see how this young girl from X Factor has grown into this insanely funny woman before us.

Come the end of the show, after all of the laughter, there is an important message to Wilson's show. What is on the internet is for forever, even if you take it down it will stay in the memories of many others long after it is gone. So, why get embarassed by it? Embrace it, it is who you are and those experiences shaped you so appreciate them. It is a powerful message. One that is perhaps both the most contemporary and relatable of the entire Fringe.

Come the end of the show every single member of the audience was quick to their feet, overwhelming Wilson with an ovation that lasted for some time.

Emily Wilson: Fixed is an exceptional show, one which feels as though it stays true to its creator all the while having its finger on the pulse of any audience it is placed in front of. Emily Wilson seems to be a comic destined for great things.

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