Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

So Sophie Zucker got off with her second cousin at her grandfather’s shiva, or wake. No one’s going to make a song and dance about that, right?

Of course Zucker is. She’s an American in showbusiness and knows a strong premise for a one-woman show when she sees it. Her career highlight so far is a single line in a now-deleted Marvel movie – which might make her a Hollywood star in the eyes of her relatives in smalltown Illinois, but isn’t going to pay the bills. 

Cue this one-woman musical about the incident, showcasing her talents to the full, especially her willingness to throw herself wholeheartedly into performing a story that unambiguously doesn’t make her look good.

Character work is her forte, best displayed when she runs through the mourners. The aunt who takes cancel culture as a personal affront designed to stop her enjoying Louis CK’s comedy is a particular delight. Then there’s cousin Yani, whose career in the Israeli Defence Force gives him an air of danger and mystery that could turn a young woman’s head. Especially if said head is full of pot smoke, which she’s not used to.

In fact, it’s a bit of a shame when Zucker leaves these characterisations behind to concentrate on her story - though some will be back.

She tries to excuse her behaviour by convincing herself she’s some kooky Zooey Deschanel type figure, messy but adorable. She’s even written a ukulele song about it, turning her shame into a twee ditty. At least, that’s the hope.

By letting the audience into her guilty secret, she also aims to dissipate it, as well as forming a conspiratorial bond. She often very purposefully breaks the fourth wall to create a ‘huddle’ and give us some whispered some context or justification to her behaviour. I think you can say a performer’s likeable if she can commit incest, depending on your definition, and still have a crowd rooting for you. 

Pacing’s a bit of an issue; songs often go on a verse longer than they need, and the soul-searching is inherently less entertaining than the sinful behaviour that triggered it. But the Brooklyn-based performer offers many charming vignettes, especially a new version of the Succession theme with added lyrics which she contrives to shoehorn into the show. We end, however, on more of a lament for the sort of relationship she thinks she will never have.

It’s an entertaining hour from an obviously talented woman, with plenty of wry observations about her Jewish family and her flawed personality, even if what she did makes ‘relatable’ a stretch.

Review date: 11 Aug 2023
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Underbelly Bristo Square