Review by Steve Bennett

You can’t accuse Laura Lexx of false advertising. She’s so lovely that even before she’s on stage she announces with cut-glass politeness: ‘Would you mind awfully putting your hands together to welcome…’ Def Comedy Jam this ain’t.

Not only is she lovely, so is her life, which she concedes might be seen as a hindrance for a comedian wanting to mine personal angst and tragedy for material. Lexx’s Edinburgh debut is therefore all about how blessed she is. And though it’s a tight line to walk between celebrating your good fortune and coming across as smug, Lexx, by being conscious of the fact, gets the balance right.

Being so optimistic, her show is a feelgood bonanza, oozing positivity. And as a performer, she’s cute, effervescent and super-personable, making comparisons with Lucy Porter almost inevitable. Certainly if you liked one, Amazon would recommend the other.

Speaking with a clear received pronunciation that’s part 1940s BBC continuity announcer, part the coquettish innocence of Audrey Hepburn, Lexx contrasts her cosseted life with the brutal fight for existence facing most of the animals on this planet, red in tooth and claw. She loves a nature doco, does Lexx, and has a typically charming routine on March Of The Penguins, which takes a turn into the surreal that’s atypical of the rest of the show, but none the worse for that.

Throughout the hour, whether personal or more observational, Lexx proves herself a charming, engaging storyteller – so even though she doesn’t boast any gut-busting punchlines, she remains entertaining throughout.

And despite all the upbeat tales, she does suffer a few downs. Alongside Felicity Ward, she’s the second comic this festival to talk about having irritable bowel syndrome, but Lexx plays this as a minor roadhump on her superhighway of happiness. Although when she revealed the condition to her boyfriend, it didn't go down so well as she’d hoped. Pow! What a narrative changer…

Whatever the outcome of that story, which I won’t reveal, it’s probably no spoiler to reveal that you’ll emerge from of Lexx’s show that bit happier than when you walked in. Lovely.

Review date: 27 Aug 2015
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Underbelly Bristo Square