EDINBURGH 2023: Review: ADRIAN BLISS: INSIDE EVERYONE, Pleasance Dome, AceDome

Adrian Bliss has made the jump from TikTok to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival stage, and I would say it is quite a successful jump.

Adrian Bliss: Inside Everyone tells the story of an atom who is determined to make something great out of themselves and does this by hopping onto different “greats” throughout history - Boudica, Cleopatra, William Shakespeare . . . The list goes on.

I had been interested in seeing how Bliss would move from short videos on TikTok to a full hour of comedy on a stage, as I can imagine it must certainly be a challenge. Bliss handles the move from screen to stage very well, managing to keep his trademark skits, just making them a little longer and having a main storyline to connect all of them. 

The show is hilarious and I loved seeing the unique perspective Bliss brought to historic figures and legends, mixing modernity with classics, including Julius Caesar waiting in line for lunch (you can take a wild guess at what he is ordering from the salad bar!) and Pandora debating opening the box given to her by the Greek gods. There are also some more absurd, but still just as hilarious characters, like a worm stuck in the mud and one of Hitler’s father’s sperm (probably one of my favourite bits in the show). 

In between scenes, as Bliss changes into yet another elaborate costume, a red spotlight representing an atom would continue on its journey on the curtain. It’s a simple yet incredibly effective trick that keeps you interested while no one is on stage. It was at times a bit distracting seeing the stage hand casually walking onto stage and moving props around, but I was willing to have some level of a suspension of disbelief to make the show more enjoyable. 

Ultimately, Adrian Bliss: Inside Everyone is a fun show that will have both fans of Bliss and those unfamiliar with his work enjoying the journey of a little atom across space and time.

Bliss has fantastic comedic timing and is able to tie all of his sketches into one story with an unexpected yet heartwarming ending that left me with a smile on my face as the lights went dark. 

Adrian Bliss: Inside Everyone runs at Pleasance Dome, AceDome at 16:40 from 16 to 27 August.

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