EDINBURGH 2025: Review: AMY ANNETTE: BUSY BODY, The Pleasance Courtyard

In her triumphant return to the Fringe, Amy Annette brings Busy Body to The Baby Grand, a shipping container transformed into an intimate comedy boudoir, complete with a floral display and the nostalgic welcoming harmonies of The Andrews Sisters. After her sell out 2024 debut, she once again delivers a sell out show, this time on a Tuesday where she brims with warmth, intelligence and a wickedly idiosyncratic wit.

From the moment she steps on stage, Amy radiates warmth and positive energy. She says she’d be a ‘fun aunt’, but the kind who isn’t entirely trustworthy, as the children would inevitably end up learning fascinating but mildly inappropriate facts. Her material drifts between whimsical observation and sharp punchlines, including a standout quip which would have deserved serious consideration for Joke of the Fringe had the accolade continued to exist: “I love sitting down, it is my main problem with stand up.”

Amy’s fascinations are vast and span from Agatha Christie, to The Blitz, to Shakespearean sonnets and the etymology of everyday words, all described gleefully. She confides her fondness for British superstitions, like the magpie rhyme (one for sorrow) which mystifies her Australian friend, and admits to being enthralled by animal chiropractor videos, ofd “Ohio Tavern Fantasy” role play videos and the Magnus Chess app. Her nosiness, rounded vowels and love of museum loos become as much part of the show’s charm as her candid reflections on health, body image and the tyranny of high cut swimwear.

At 36, she is the age that Princess Diana died, and honours her by following the late royal’s example, namely undermining the monarchy, with the same mischievous glint which makes her so endearing. As an aside unexpectedly, her voice is genuinely stunning, adding a texture to an already richly layered performance.

Busy Body is a vibrant comedy which feels personal yet expansive and silly yet sincere., Amy Annette is cemented as not only a gifted stand up, but a natural storyteller, who can make a cold shipping container feel like the warmest room at the Fringe. She hands out a card fan at the end which winningly reads ‘Sir, if you can’t handle me at my sweaty girl worst, you don’t deserve me at my slightly sweaty girl best…’ just more evidence that she’s clearly a genius.

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