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Review: Ania Magliano: Forgive Me, Father at Pleasance Courtyard - Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Review by Lucy Holz 


Critically acclaimed comedian and writer Ania Magliano returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with fresh material about relationships (romantic), relationships (familial), and relationships (platonic). She’s a comedian who says what every woman is thinking, creating jokes out of everything from moving in with a boyfriend to having a doctor rummage around in your cervix. 


Magliano has an unforgettable look, sporting an embroidered vest, corduroy trousers and flaming red hair. She treads the boards in her fashionable dad shoes like she owns them, and so she should, she’s completely sold out her fringe run. I’m attending an extra late performance, added to meet the high demand. 


The show is a perfect hour of observational comedy, tickling the funny bones of every woman in the crowd with its relatability. Her playful turns of phrase and unique takes make even the most ordinary situations like trying to connect to a printer seem hilarious. 


Her early infatuation with her dad is a particularly side-splitting section, with her experience buying a vibrator for the first time also eliciting huge laughs. She weaves her crowd work seamlessly into her set, using audience responses as a springboard for another ambling anecdote peppered with jokes. 


After each line successfully lands, she waits for the laughter to subside, a self-satisfied smile on her face. She is effortlessly funny and has a gift for making it seem like every joke is something she just thought of on the spot, rather than a meticulously crafted line. 


Bringing a fresh perspective to her experiences as a commitment-phobe, Magliano has the audience hanging on her every word. The run has been going so well she’s ordered merch, and now you can get tote bags with a slogan that best describes her first time trying the world’s most powerful vibrator. 


Hilarious from start to finish, Magliano has created a flawless hour that is not to be missed. 

Image Supplied

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