Whenever you’re wandering about the Fringe you can’t help but be recommended shows. Flyers and posters adorned with positive reviews, PRs pushing the “next big thing”, clowns recommending their mates shows and, of course, friends telling you who “you really must see”. It all comes down to how much you trust your chosen source.

So, when that recommendation comes from a friend who is also the judge on a major comedy award. And the clown that they are telling you to see actually won said award, then you tend to pay attention. And that is how how we ended up at The Hive waiting for Lara Ricote to take to the stage.

The Hive is a slightly awkward venue, it’s long and thin with restricted viewing from most of the rear seats, plus, as a still functioning nightclub, there is that musty aroma of stale booze and vomit to contend with. It was going to take some serious energy to get this audience warmed up – which is exactly what Lara bought, and then some.

You can’t help but like Lara Ricote, her story telling and delivery is just so positive and honest. The material about her family was the highlight for me – not sure her little sister will say the same!

In a whirlwind hour we cover life, love, organ theft (no really) and a dozen or so clever metaphors for climate change. It’s a cracking show and the crowd happily hang on our clown’s every word.

A final mention has to go to the title of the show, Lara refers to this as her ‘minority’ show, because that’s “big right now” so she stuck all of hers on the poster in order to gain attention – I’m not sure if that gag backfires now that she has been nominated for Best Newcomer (Update: And won!) but it’s exactly the kind of well-meaning, honest humor that makes this clown so good.

Well worth the price of admission and we can’t wait to see what this clown does next.

Clown Stars: * * * *

@Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh