By Jay Richardson, Kate Copstick, David Hepburn and Claire Smith

Published 15th Aug 2023, 13:24 BST

Updated 15th Aug 2023, 13:28 BST

Anna Piper Scott: Such an Inspiration *****

House of Oz (The Great Indoors) (Venue 73)

Whatever else Anna Piper Scott's UK debut show is, and it is much, and mighty, it's tremendous stand-up. Full of memorable routines, sprinkled with great gags but related with a warm, inclusive ease and puckish, occasionally acerbic, playfulness, taking sometimes difficult and dark subject matter and making it light for the most part, yet affording it suitable gravity when required, intricate but wonderfully effortless storytelling. Such an Inspiration is inherently, intensely personal, but has so much to say about contemporary identity issues, culture wars, mental health, queer representation and the purpose of comedy. Hannah Gadsby's watershed stand-up show Nanette gets a couple of namechecks. And although Inspiration is perhaps not that much of a gamechanger, it's very much on a similar scope of accomplishment and other spectrums besides.

Leant on harder than Gadsby are three of Scott's all-times heroes, comedians Dave Chappelle and Adam Hills and the Australian's housemate, Eli. Since transitioning to be a trans woman, Scott noticed that crowd reactions towards her have changed, with progressive audience members telling her, to her horror, that she was “inspirational”. And in their own ways, legendary comic-turned-hack transphobe Chappelle, supportive ally Hills and self-identifying ”chaos demon” Eli now offer inspiration to Scott for how she might exceed that limiting label. Weaving these through Hollywood's stock narrative arcs for trans women, that of punchline, villain or victim, she establishes a solid, structural framework to explore the possibilities and limits of these archetypes.

Serving the greater whole, plenty of Scott's routines are nevertheless sublime in isolation, with a section about trans women in sport and the rare professions where women earn more than men, thoroughly researched, winningly opinionated and just densely, impishly funny. Scott draws almost all of the thorny controversy out of certain aspects with self-deprecation and relatability – her admission of her autism is masterfully deft in this regard – but retains enough grit in the oyster to just every now and then strike back against those that would oppress her. Typical is the celebratory line she takes when she's thoroughly mansplained to about comedy.

From an early and occasional mention of hospitalisation, you are though, waiting throughout for the other shoe to drop. And when Scott shares her recent trauma, it's been skilfully seeded enough to not feel like a theatrical device, but part of an ongoing, organic process of affirmation – one of those rare examples where the show and the person behind it genuinely seem to be coming together and re-emerging stronger before your eyes. Incredible. Jay Richardson

Mamoun Elagab: Why I Love White People ***

Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker One) until 27 August

Technically, Mamoun Elagab is a Sudanese orphan, from a mixed Muslim-Christian background, with Egyptian, Turkish and Sierra Leonean heritage. But that doesn't come close to distilling the essence of this garrulous young stand-up, who relates his story mic-free, with a breathless, uninterrupted flow. Playful with race and identity, Elagab has been under pressure to define himself since adolescence, and his tale contains multitudes. From a stand-up perspective, it's both a blessing and a curse. From the moment he starts speaking, Elagab doesn't stop and carries you on the force of his amiable personality, through frequent diversions and asides. But there's a lot to unpack and he rattles through it in a largely linear manner, jesting about racial expectations but never truly examining the underlying causes. When he sympathises with white, working-class friends for not receiving the focus he does, it's amusing and interesting but doesn't approach profundity, just passing observation. A more cynical comic would have made his mother's thwarted stand-up ambitions the heart of his debut hour, ramping up its formative importance. But Elagab does the opposite, playing video of her “performing” that's both genuinely sentimental and a chance for him to undercut it with a sly gag. Unaffected and true to his complexities, on balance he's to be admired and enjoyed. Jay Richardson

Mark Silcox : Women Only ****

PBH’s Free Fringe @ Voodoo Rooms (Venue 68) until 27 August

“What is a woman?” enquires Dr Mark Silcox, before turning to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for his answer. And off we go down a comedy rabbit hole that just gets deeper and sillier every time he pokes at his laptop and another bit of badly home-made PowerPoint comes up. Dr Silcox offers us the apotheosis of deadpan comedy in this lecture on women and men, but mainly women. There is science here (these are the bits when he wears the white coat), a comparative analysis of angers and and a comprehensive guide to careers for men, strong or weak. A move to floristry could change your life. Women everywhere will be happy to hear that the good doctor has apologised to them on behalf of all powerful men. So that is OK. We get Eastenders, an illustrated section on human reproduction and learn why men have nipples. If, as a man, you dare to defy the title and go (and I strongly – as a woman – advise that you do) your entire life may well improve exponentially. At the very least you will laugh for an hour. There is a particular quality to laughter that is provoked by the ridiculous. It is a wonderful, gentle, almost childlike sound and it fills this space. It feels like sitting in a bath of giggles, and that is a lovely feeling.

The discipline and the sensitivity it takes to create an hour of constant laughter out of something that, on the face of it, is not humorous at all is extraordinary. The show is a perfect example of expert use of the philosopher's comedy stone. Dr Silcox never cracks a smile, never misses a beat and the funny just keeps coming. Weird and wonderful. Kate Copstick

Gabby Killick: Conversations With My Agent **

Gilded Balloon Teviot (Venue 14) until 27 August

A mix of stand-up, character comedy and song shaped around the series of titular telephone calls with her hyper-critical agent, Gabby Killick’s scattergun hour is stuffed with jokes but has serious quality control issues.

Her act ranges from the clunkiest of puns to the most lurid of stories - a highlight being a jaw-dropping tale about a visit to the beautician. She offers a few clumsy segues, but her overarching style is short bursts of unrelated material that feels like work in progress.

She’s a confident and likeable performer, particularly during the more theatrical segments anthropomorphising diseases and phone apps, but that’s not enough to have the agents queuing up to sign her. David Hepburn

Frank Skinner: 30 Years of Dirt ***

Assembly George Square Theatre (Venue 8) until 27 August

If you’re looking for an elegantly constructed, meandering dick joke Frank Skinner is your man. It’s now 30 years since Skinner won the Perrier Award, and despite his best efforts he still hasn’t been able to wean himself off the masturbation material. Skinner languidly paces the stage, dispensing beautifully crafted anecdotes – which he insists are all true – or almost.

He tells the story of a trip to the Palace to collect an award for services to entertainment, and he describes the thrill of watching footballer Cristiano Ronaldo play for Portugal in his prime. He is a master at work, but this is a low energy evening.

There’s a teenager with a ski injury in the front row, and a couple who refuse to say how long they’ve been married. A man yards from the stage is so expressionless Skinner starts to imagine he’s a cardboard cut-out. The comic soldiers on, delivering a joke about climate change denial which he says is worth the ticket price alone. There’s no denying this is good stuff but the crowd just isn’t with him and Skinner never quite manages to raise the temperature in the room enough to bring in the big laughs. Claire Smith

Edinburgh Fringe comedy reviews – Anna Piper Scott: Such an Inspiration | Mamoun Elagab: Why I Love White People | Mark Silcox: Women Only | Gabby Killick: Conversations With My Agent | Frank Skinner: 30 Years of Dirt