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Gags to riches? - Fringe standups consider the cost of living - and comedy
The Guardian
|August 22, 2023
Money is changing hands at a number of Edinburgh festival shows this year, and not just when it is time for the "bucket speech" after a Free Fringe show.
Mary O'Connell fires notes from money guns at the start of Money Princess. Tom Mayhew has a suitcase full of bits and pieces, which he attempts to auction off to make his first million. And Stanley Brooks, AKA the comedian Lewis Dunn, is paying his audience minimum wage to experience 10 seconds of doing their dream jobs.
With price rises and stagnant wages, we are all thinking about money more. And at the fringe, where the cost of performing and watching shows is ever increasing, it's no surprise that artists are tackling the topic. Krystal Evans, Tamsyn Kelly and Alison Spittle discuss growing up poor. Lane Kwederis lets us know what it means to be a financial dominatrix. Paddy Young serves up cheeky digs at landlords and the financial precariousness of renting in London. On the flipside, Fool's Gold grapples with financial privilege.
This story is from the August 22, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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