EDINBURGH 2023: Review: OLGA KOCH: PRAWN COCKTAIL, Monkey Barrel Comedy (Monkey Barrel 1)

Returning to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe after last year's critically acclaimed show Just Friends, Olga Koch is back with her newest hour of stand up; Prawn Cocktail. Considering the ripples she sent throughout the Scottish capital during her month at the Fringe last year, one could not be blamed for rushing to see her as soon as they could this August.

Prawn Cocktail finds itself primarily focusing on the past year of Olga's life and the major traumatic event that she went through... turning 30! Which, according to Olga, isn't so bad, especially when compared to being 28, the age in which all you do is worry about the fact you are about to turn 30. 

Throughout the show Koch tells numerous tales of travelling the world, visiting New Zealand (twice) and the story of her first threesome, all of which are funny anecdotes, but which seem to have little connection to one another other than the fact that they have happened in the past year, or so you would be led to believe.

As the show progresses the stories begin to interweave and the story of Prawn Cocktail really begins to show itself. Although the end result is rewarding as an audience member, it can feel like things take a little too long to get going, with Koch spending a little too long reminiscing random stories from her past year before beginning to intertwine the key narratives of the show. Even once the stories do begin to intertwine it can feel as though we are spending less time laughing and a little too long trying to figure out how these stories tie into each other.

That is not to say that the Fringe regular struggled to get any laughs; quite the opposite, it is just that it could often feel like the silence between jokes would last longer than the laughs themselves.

In spite of this, Olga Koch is a performer who you simply can't help but respect. Her stage presence is something to be admired, ruling the room and demanding the audience's attention. Throughout the hour her delivery is smooth and her stage presence is one of a well oiled veteran. 

Though Prawn Cocktail may not be Olga Koch's finest hour at the Fringe, her status as one of the UK's best comics has been well earned. Regardless of the quality of the material she is performing, Olga's natural ability as a stand up comedian makes Prawn Cocktail a show that is worthy of any audience members time. 

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