A much needed, too short Fringe run for an hour of comedy brimming with real heart, an unflinching vulnerability, and jokes that could take down any male improviser faster than he could say “yes and.”
Lianna Holston is back with her sophomore Fringe show, Haha, Oh God 2.0, and she is ready to make everything about your non-existent sex life okay. What begins as a lighthearted story about being a touch-starved woman with a stellar education and a lackluster trail of shitty men telling her, in so many ways, that she is not enough, gradually burns into a tale of reclaiming a heck of a lot of self-worth.
She lets the piece drop to such a dark place, doubting her ability to find someone who wants to have sex with her, that the piece breaks the standard comedy mold before you’re even aware of it. It’s incredible writing, isn’t desperate for laughs (though there are some good ones in there), and her humble and generous presence with her audience is enough to make you cry openly with her when she almost lets those unfounded doubts get the better of her.
What makes this piece work so darn well is Holston’s unique ability to remove the need for punching up or down. There is hardly any punching at all, except maybe a little on herself (at which points you just want to stand up and tell her she’s amazing, so please stop!).
In the subtlest of ways, she asks questions about the male-domination of comedy and improv and male comics’ eagerness to assert themselves as sexually active beings, punching down on virgins and virginity whenever they feel their jokes are getting stale. Why, Holston implies, might we need to punch at all? Is it kosher to admit that you’re a virgin in your stand up routine and ultimately not make that the funny part of the bit? In fact, can you admit that, honestly explore it, and then make a whole audience of strangers root for your ability to get some good D by the end? Holston’s Haha, Oh God 2.0 is a resounding “yes” to that question.
What could have been a self-effacing, victim-y piece about not getting laid became a heartfelt, jaw-dropping afternoon of comedy that hopefully isn’t Holston’s last time mounting an Edinburgh stage.
Show Listing: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/lianna-holston-haha-oh-god-2-0
LISTINGS INFORMATION:
Venue: Snug, Gilded Balloon @ Patter House
Dates: until 16th August
Time: 15:30
Ticket prices: £12.50 / concession: £11.50
Fringe box office: 0131 226 0000 / www.edfringe.com
Suitable for 14+