‘24 Hour Diner People’
Lorna Rose Treen
Some of the most talked-about comedy gigs at this year’s Fringe are character routines rather than traditional stand-up shows. And the buzziest of the buzzy is Lorna Rose Treen, whose show is set in a diner with characters like a waitress who eats her tips, a truck driver with ridiculously long arms and a nerdy teenager who dreams of entrapping a jock. Treen’s absurdity and charm have been winning over audiences and critics alike, and some reviewers have likened her to “French and Saunders,” one of Britain’s most beloved sketch comedy duos.
Before her run this month, Treen had already won a large fan base with off-the-wall videos posted to Instagram and TikTok featuring other rising British character comedians like Ada Player and Alice Cockayne. (They’re both selling out shows at this year’s Fringe, too.)
In a recent interview, Treen said she thought character comedians were drawing Fringe audiences because they “loved the escapism” of entering the weird worlds that the comedians create — especially at a time when the news is depressing. Whatever the reason, she keeps adding new shows, and they keep selling out. — ALEX MARSHALL
Through Aug. 23 at the Pleasance Courtyard, then at the Soho Theater in London from Sept. 8-13.
‘Common Knowledge’
Rosie O’Donnell
The actor and comedian Rosie O’Donnell found herself in the headlines in June when President Trump threatened on social media to revoke her U.S. citizenship because she had spoken out against him. The high-profile spat has inevitably fueled interest in her new Fringe show, “Common Knowledge,” which played at the start of the festival and wrapped up last week.
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The post Rosie O’Donnell and Eating the Rich: 7 Buzzy Shows at Edinburgh Fringe appeared first on New York Times.
