The Guardian: Edinburgh Fringe 2015: Comedy Preview Speical

How relevant is the Edinburgh fringe in a post-internet era? Still pretty relevant, judging from the fact that plenty of today’s YouTube comedy superstars are still making the journey up there this month. Mawaan Rizwan has nearly 90,000 YouTube subscribers – a number that dwarfs the audiences he can expect to pull in over August – but he clearly still wants to prove he can cut it at the industry’s long-established showcase. And he should be able to do so, given that he’s got the kind of high-wattage charm that comes through as easily onstage as it does through a screen. Rizwan is an essentially mischievous performer, with a no-holds-barred physicality that has helped him become such a sizeable online hit. You get the feeling that he’ll do literally anything to get a laugh, and that commitment to the right kind of crowdpleasing should stand him in good stead.

Pleasance Courtyard, to 30 Aug

Article by James Kettle