CHONK at Edinburgh Fringe ★★★½
★★★½ CHONK | Laughing Horse @ Bar 50
A fun – if functional – body-positive showcase for the chunkier comedians at the fringe.
Welsh comedian Stuart Thomas hosts this daily stand-up selection box which, as well as lending performers a platform to promote their shows, hopes to ‘challenge societal norms and promote body positivity through laughter.’
It’s a laudable aim – as a chonk himself, this reviewer appreciates the sentiment. It’s a shame, then, that the cramped venue is hardly appropriate for plus-sized performers and audience members – and that several of the acts themselves seem primed to stick to body-shape comedy bits. The biggest (pun unintended) exception to the latter will likely come from the token non-chonk invited to perform at each show. Its a gimmick that works better (indeed, feels less gimmick than pointed satire) at The Alternative Black Comedy Showcase, but is frankly unnecessary here.
On our visit, Rabiah Coon was the standout performer – if these seven minutes are anything to go by, her show with Shuang Teng (Asian American Cultural Confusion) is worth checking out. Look out, too, for Amanda Hurst (Amanda Hursy: Carted) and Jack Scullion (Don’t Mess It Up Jack).
I am Joint Editor at To Do List. I like: nice pubs, film marathons, not doing real marathons, bad comedy, plays/musicals with shorter second halves, and the Oxford comma.
