Review by Steve Bennett

'I have trust issues,' Jena Friedman says of herself about her relationships; though it could also apply to her comedy, as she doesn't entirely seem to trust her instincts as to what's funny.

And even a flick of uncertainty dampens the impact of the more confronting material she's peddling. When you've given your show a title like this, it's a pretty significant statement of uncompromising intent that you shouldn't waver over.

In fact, she's still working through her routines, on this her third of 12 nights at the Fringe. She's referring to notes, and there's a palpable feeling that she's adapting her material for a British audience on the fly, getting a sense not just of what references to use, but also the difference sensibilities.

Whether because of this, or whether it's the way she always is, the peripatetic style makes it hard to quite settle into her wavelength; to quite feel that we know exactly who Friedman is, that we can relax into the jokes. And she's right to be looking at the references: mentioning Bernie Sanders with a mooncup without explaining what either of those things are is a big ask….

Certainly there's a strong strand of mordant humour with a set list that covers conjoined Twins, the Holocaust, abortion, ebola, Israeli policy… Even a tongue-in-cheek reference about how she's kept her figure references 9/11.She constantly refers to her darkness, though she doesn't need to - the material speaks for itself.

Yet there's also a sense that she wants to do the right thing by her liberal politics. She hitches herself to comedy's burgeoning feminism movement with sincerity, allowing her to joke about how women over 60 become invisible or launch into a strong routine about feminist hand-jobs early doors. Yet she doesn't feeling able to buy into the full philosophy – ungainly new terms like 'sisgender' sit uneasily with her – producing an equivocacy that's less helpful for comedy.

But throw in some of her personal insecurities and you have a wide range of inspirations for material which, at its best, is as sharp, satirical and edgy as you would hope from a Daily Show producer, even if it's not as slick or consistent as it could be. Fingers crossed she returns to the Fringe with a polished show that can really make an impact, as she's certainly an intriguing prospect.

Review date: 23 Aug 2015
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Stand 5