Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Stefania Licari, an Italian NHS intensive care doctor, performs as her comedy alter ego, Dr Anna LaRosa, an Italian NHS intensive care doctor, in a show that fits somewhere in the hinterland between monologue, cabaret and theatre.

Notionally taking the form of a medical masterclass in four lessons, Medico is packed with stories, jokes, songs and a lot of Italian cheese. Much of the narrative revolves around LaRosa’s love life, and we meet a set of broad characters, starting with Gordon the gynaecologist, and ending with a romantic clinch with a full-size skeleton. Her succession of lovers becomes ever-more cartoonish, and Licari’s tendency towards another cliché or easy punchline wears thin.

More successful was the section about LaRosa trying to secure British citizenship, and another in which she encounters a patient who insisted on only being treated by a British doctor. Confusingly, Licari breaks the fourth wall at this point to tell us this was a true story, needlessly muddying the distinction between herself and her alter ego.

A sudden moment of seriousness towards the end hints at a more nuanced show trying to get out. The strongest elements of Medico are those scenes played less for laughs, and which find a better balance between light and shade. There are poster credits for co-devisor and director Chris Head and ‘comedy consultant’ John Nicholson of Peepolykus, suggesting that this hybrid show could indeed evolve into a more satisfying theatre piece rather than light comedy.

Licari’s personality, energy and sense of fun keep the audience on side, with some brief interactions with medics, medical students and other willing volunteers. Medico is an unchallenging hour but more or less succeeds on its own terms and gets a solid reception from the packed audience. 

• Stefania Licari: Medico is on at Just the Tonic Nucleus at 3.10pm

Review date: 24 Aug 2022
Reviewed by: Matt Carwardine-Palmer
Reviewed at: Just the Tonic Nucleus