Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Less than three months after giving birth to her first child, Freya Mallard is well into her full Fringe run. A stupid idea or a valuable way of maintaining her former identity, not forfeiting everything to motherhood? It’s probably a bit of both, but there’s no denying she is making her festival debut on hard mode.

Parenthood is, understandably, a considerable part of the show, but more central is the difference between men and women. Yes, one of the hackiest subjects in stand-up, but here given new life thanks to the addition of some Gen Z fourth-wave feminism under the bonnet.

There’s some good stuff here, wittily toying with how the genders negotiate life in very conflicting ways. Her best routine imagines just how different The Hangover movie would have been had the stars been women, transforming it from raucous comedy to horrifying thriller. 

More conventionally, she talks about how she wouldn’t want to date a guy her own age – mid-20s – given how immature they are, as well as some self-effacing jokes about herself and the extremes her emotional clinginess might go to. However, when this

section ends, the quality of the material takes a dive. I might be wrong, but could this be the point where a solid gig-honed club set makes way for the extra material she had to write to make up the hour? And, if you hadn’t noticed, she’s been rather busy with other things in the last three months.

The section on dogs as a conversation-starter is especially overlong, with the audience participation seeming like time-filling, and another bit that only works it you know what ‘fake taxi’ is, otherwise you’ll have to catch up that it’s a porn genre, a few beats after the punchline has gone. 

Mallard – a biggish deal on TikTok – seems friendly enough but can inject a touch of meanness – even bleakness – behind some of the jokes, which gives them an edge. 

There’s also a slight emotional distance between comic and crowd that doesn’t quite sell the material effectively, and a bit more

vivacity and variation in tone and pace would suit her conversation style.Put some of this down to the after-effects of bringing new human life into the universe, as the best of her debut is promising indeed, even if the whole lacks polish.

Review date: 10 Aug 2024
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Pleasance Courtyard