Avital Ash Workshops Her Suicide Note
@avitalash’s Edfringe debut is a revelation & a reckoning. A #standup show that feels less like comedy & more like a transformational odyssey, Ash’s blend of barbed wit & pure vulnerability takes aim at the darkest corners of her past…
...Centring a stand-up around your mother’s suicide, sexual assault & generational trauma is a tightrope walk (#understatement).. Ash navigates the tension between humour & pathos masterfully, creating an intimate bond with the audience. Together, we collapse in stitches even as there are tears in our eyes🥹…
...This genre of tragicomedy set has become increasingly popular at #edfringe, but few have fine-tuned it so well🎯 There are echoes of Michaela Coel’s “I May Destroy You” in the way Ash empowers herself to narrate, interpret, and retell her traumas in ways both orthodox and subversive. Ash isn’t your typical, closed-off, joke-machine comedian, she’s an excavator of the self; a living (for now) testament to human resilience…
...And if the thought of joking about suicide makes you #cringe, consider the subversive power of the act: Ash challenges the taboos head-on, using humour as a mirror to reflect society's discomfort 🫵🏽🪞 Instead of shying away, she makes us face the raw emotions, turning them into a source of strength & empowerment. By poking fun at the darkest shadows, Ash dismantles their oppressive weight & grants us permission to confront, accept, and even chuckle at our own traumas...
...Should the show come with more explicit content warnings? Probably. Are there moments when the humour feels shoe-horned into the conceit of “workshopping” a suicide note? Undoubtedly. But should you go see this? Definitely🎟️
...In a festival crowded with performers clamouring for attention, Ash's raw authenticity sets her apart. She reminds us that humour isn’t just about jokes; it's a tool, a weapon, a salve. And she wields it with both elegance & audacity. 4/5
#edfringe2023 #fillyerboots #edinburghfringefestival #monkeybarrel #darkcomedy