“Australian comic delivers brilliant comic medley about her dead dog”
There are no spoilers here. The Dog Dies at the Start delivers its central premise and is a lively and surprising exploration of loss. It combines stand-up, storytelling and visual comedy without allowing any one form to dominate. Holland is smart and silly in equal measure. Her ability to move between those gears at will gives the show its energy, as well as delivering an emotional impact.
The show’s self-awareness is part of its charm. Holland jokes about the possibility of losing her audience from the start, and deliberately does so at different points, but then displaying her skill as a performer by managing those tonal shifts in a variety of clever ways.
Though perhaps not yet familiar to British audiences, Holland has been building a profile in the Australian comedy circuit, appearing regularly as a panellist and writer on TV shows and as a contestant on Taskmaster Australia. And past shows and Edinburgh and beyond have received excellent reviews. She also has a background in visual art, which is evident in the show’s collage style construction.
Of course, the Fringe of course has not seen a shortage of ‘dead dad’ shows over the years. Nor comedy shows that major on weighty themes. But it would be wrong to think about this dead-dog show as a direct continuation of this. While it has genuine moments of pathos while exploring the grief, that is really something that is in the mix. Helping to tie together brilliant comedy routines that balance slides, animations, props, physical comedy and crowd work into a cohesive and satisfying. Never allowing it to settle – and in the process creating a performance that is as visually inventive as it is verbally sharp.
Emma Holland: Dog Dies at the Start 5–30 August 2026 at 21:20. Tickets are available here.