Fringe Binge 2017 Show #19 - Tessa Coates - Primates; Pleasance Courtyard, 1530, 08-Aug-17

Tessa Coates was a new name to me, but as frequently happens I had a gap in my schedule and geography and timings suggested this might be a good fit. And indeed it was - Ms. C was very pleasant company for an hour.

The theme Primates comes from the Anthropology degree she obtained when she was a student. She cheerfully explained that Anthropology is all about the big questions - where do we come from, how do we work, and so and on so forth. But she happily stated that one of the biggest themes is penises. All manner of them. And so she launched into impressions of one of her Professors, a discussion about various former boyfriends and all manner of interesting topics while keeping things light and breezy. She did move into slightly more challenging territory but did signal it with "This is the only sassy bit of the show" and concluded with "Right, no more sass from me!", which tells you we're not quite in Frankie Boyle territory.

Ms. C's style is very much a slightly plummy Home Counties gal although I suspect there's a degree of affectation going on. A talented writer and member of the comedy group Massive Dad, this is her first solo Edinburgh show. She seemed a little nervous at the start but quickly found her stride.

Plenty of good lines and funny anecdotes (talking about dating and how some men appear to be Hufflepuff but almost always turn out to be Slytherin is a theme that has been touched upon in several shows but still makes me laugh).

Ms. C is a very good comic and an engaging and witty companion. If this is her first solo show then I look forward to future ones.