Camilla Cleese made her debut in the UK at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. She knows as well as us, that no one ever heard of her and they know more about her father’s cats than about her existence. The comedian is not shy to tell us straight from the start that she made full use of having a British comedy legend as a father, Monty Python’s John Cleese.
She comes accompanied by Steve Hofstetter, with whom she shares the hour, who warms up the audience, introduces her on stage and then comes back after her set finishes to do his own thing.
Camilla is a decent stand-up comedian who has decent material for the circuit, but she also relies a bit too much on us knowing who her father is, being in on the joke on his relationship to his wives and remembering his physiognomy. I would love to see a show from her with no mention of her famous father.
The performer doesn’t feel very comfortable on stage, but we were later informed she was very ill which may have influenced her demeanour.
It was also unfortunate, although good for the audience’s enjoyment of the show, that she chose a more experienced stand-up comedian to join her on the show as he was much more comfortable on the stage, knew how to lead the audience in his path and got a lot more laughs than her.
★★★
Camilla Cleese and Steve Hofstetter: Produced by John Cleese is at Assembly George Square Studios at 15:50 until 26th August. For tickets and more information click here!
Our coverage of the Edinburgh Fringe comes to you with the support off Starling Bank, the mobile-only bank that takes your money seriously. Through their campaign #MakeMoneyEqual, Starling is promoting the often difficult conversations about money and giving women a voice.
