Edinburgh Fringe 2015 review - Bridget Christie: Backlash postponed for a queen of satire

Christie doesn't hit the heights of her previous Fringe shows, but only because the bar is set so high, says Bruce Dessau
Queen of satire: Bridget Christie
Bruce Dessau13 August 2015

This should be the year that the Bridget Christie backlash starts.

After two acclaimed Edinburgh shows, could comedy’s top feminist really make it three classics in a row?

The answer is not quite. Albeit only because of the vertiginously high bar Christie has already set. A Book For Her — the title of this run and also her recent debut book — is packed with smart laughs, but at around 45 minutes her annual outing feels brisker and a little less delicately crafted this time.

Plenty of gems still shone though, as the increasingly assured satirist poured scorn on, among other things, the Labour leadership contest, government cuts, Nigel Farage and misguided political correctness. As ever, righteous anger was cloaked in clownish self-mockery.

Last year’s set highlighted FGM, this year’s major issue is the tax on sanitary products because they are “luxuries” while flapjacks, for example, go VAT-free. The gig ended with a hilarious if unhygienic idea for a protest that may upset the Royal Mail more than it upsets George Osborne.

Christie has clearly had a demanding year, which maybe explains why her show is shorter than the average festival performance. It is still, however, one of the funniest, most intelligent monologues on the Fringe.

Backlash postponed. Even if by the star’s standards this is more pamphlet than manifesto.

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Until August 31 (0131 558 7272, thestand.co.uk)

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