EDINBURGH 2025: Review: JESSICA FOSTEKEW: ICONIC BREATH, Monkey Barrel
Jessica Fostekew: Iconic Breath is at Edfringe until 24 August
By: Natalie O'Donoghue Aug. 19, 2025
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Having established herself as a comedian who isn’t afraid to take on current affairs and hot topics, this year Jessica Fostekew has decided to just have a nice time instead. Everything feels so bleak at the moment that it's a real tonic to just have a laugh.
Iconic Breath is a show packed with anecdotes about her beloved grandmother, her grumpy dad and other family members. The overall theme of the show is tolerance, in a time when nobody seems to have any. Fostekew has inherited her rage from her father, but she’s trying to fight that for her the sake of her young son and extremely patient partner.
It’s consistent with the laughs and despite claiming she’s not an observational comedian, there are some pretty good observations. One particularly interesting part is the difference between interacting with people who have different values to you in person and online. The parents of the kids her son plays football with have wildly different views and while that would be an issue on Facebook, in person it is a different matter.
Iconic Breath is a breath of fresh air in these trying times, stuffed with big laughs and relatable content.
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