Love / Less of a Man
Comedy (stand-up, storytelling)
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Venue 53theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall - Theatre 2
- 23:00
- Aug 17
- 1 hour
- Country: United States
- Group: Isabella Pip and Jess Elgene
- Warnings and additional info: Audience participation
- Accessibility: May not apply to all performances. You'll find more information about accessibile performances and how to book tickets in the accessibility tab below.
- Babes in arms policy: Babies do not require a ticket
- Policy applies to: Children under 18 months
Description
A double-bill show. Love: Isabella hates love. Wait, no, that's not true. Let them explain. An interactive theatrical comedy show for the romantics. Or the weak-of-heart horny weirdos who love love, but hate themselves. Same difference. Less of a Man: Jess Elgene fled Texas, picked up a mic and transitioned. This is the story of a girl who can do anything. Features stand-up and original music spanning the lived experience of a trans woman fighting for her right to exist.Please note that while all media gallery content is provided by verified members of the event, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society does not review or approve this content before it is posted. Reports of inappropriate content or copyright infringement can be directed to [email protected].
General venue access
- Accessible entry: Information not supplied
- Stairs: Information not supplied
Wheelchair access type: Level Access
Each venue can contain several space with different accessibly information. Visit the venue page for full venue accessibility info
How and when to make an access booking
- Phone: +44 (0)131 226 0002
- Email: [email protected]
- Textphone: +44 (0)7860 018 299
- Find out more about access at the Fringe.
Our access tickets service is available to anyone who:
- Would like to book specific accessibility services, e.g. a hearing loop, audio description headsets, captioning units, seating in relation to the location of the BSL interpreter
- Requires extra assistance when at a venue
- Has specific seating requirements
- Is a wheelchair user
- Requires a complimentary personal assistant ticket to attend a performance
Liam Twigg 21 days ago
Getting to see two wonderfully passionate proud queer lovers give a lovely evening of romantic comedy, and to be able to hear and see stories and people I can relate to, was so important to me and I had a really really lovely time! Really splendid, really well done :)
Mabel Thomas 22 days ago
An *excellent* double bill. Jess is a star in the making. Catch this show before both of these comics blow up!!!
Chandler Dean 22 days ago
With Less of a Man, Jess Elgene has managed to strike the perfect balance, which eludes so many stand-up hours and one-person shows: sharpness and sincerity, originality and honesty, comedy and confessional.
Jess has packed her half-hour (which I saw in its full 60-minute glory in New York) with genuinely fresh, hilarious jokes that only she can tell. And that’s not just because of her identity—though I defy you to find a funnier trans woman from West Texas. It’s also because very few performers of any background have the skill and discipline to skip the low-hanging fruit, as she has, and instead mine their own unique story and perspective to say something truly insightful, surprising, and universal.
But even that is only half the story—because between these jokes, and the stories they accompany, are several unforgettable songs about a few of the defining figures and moments in Jess’s life. It’s at these moments in the show when Jess is at her most vulnerable—but it doesn’t feel gratuitous. Instead, the kinds of sentiments that Jess is expressing naturally lend themselves to the form of song. It felt to me like if the same ideas were conveyed any other way, some element of the truth would be lost.
Simply put: Less of a Man is equal parts funny and touching. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys leaving a show with a big smile on your face (and, in all likelihood, tears in your eyes).
Michael John 27 days ago
QUEERS—GET YOUR GORGEOUS ASSES TO THIS SHOW. Isabella Pip and Jess Elgene's split bill is an intimate, inspired queer wonder of this year's festival.
Isabella's LOVE investigates the coming-of-age experience of how love challenges identity with a unique blend of queer hilarity and romantic storytelling. It reminded me that queer people possess the superpower to fall in love so wholly that it can reconstitute our sense of self. That Isabella renders this as a feature of being queer and not a flaw is the kind of nuanced, no-nonsense, and refreshingly unsaccharine queer empowerment that makes me want to fling myself into my nearest polycule with reckless abandon. I cannot wait to see them develop this into a full hour.
Meanwhile, Jess Elgene is rendering some of the most accomplished comedic work of the Fringe on a stage the size of a postage stamp in this triumphant slice of her hour LESS OF A MAN. Comedians can be so afraid of caring—how uncool!—but there's a shiny facet to every one of Jess' perfectly cut, sharp comic gems that reveals a sincerity cutting deeper than the belly laugh it elicits. It's in the look of clear-eyed conviction with which she launches into each of the (accomplished, moving, catchy pop) songs that dot her set like stars that invites us to reflect on our own journeys into ourselves alongside her. For such a masterful blend of stand-up and song executed with such commitment of spirit, it's a miracle it's so accessible and so affecting. It's work that has kept working on me since, challenging me to be more honest in my personal life and in my craft. Catch Jess now before she's selling rooms six times this one's size in years to come. I was grateful to do so this Fringe, and you can bet I'll be thrilled to follow her there, too.
Will M 29 days ago
A cool two in one show! First is Jess with a really funny show exploring her trans identity which is filled with legitimately good songs! And second up is Isabella with a moving piece on what queer love looks like as a kinda bisexual nonbinary person. It made me think in a good way!
Brian 29 days ago
A very special double bill! Laugh out loud comedy plus vulnerable and tender storytelling and music - a really perfect way to cap off any night at the Fringe!!
Andrew 30 days ago
This show is a lovely time. Fun stand up, nice stories, nice music, end of review.
Douglas 31 days ago
You're missing out if you skip this show! Hilarious stand up, great storytelling, and songs that will bring tears to your ears.
Blake Thompson 34 days ago
This show was so fabulous! Both performers were so comfortable on stage and so professional, my friends and I were laughing the whole time! Yet it was such a real and genuine account of love and different experiences that anyone could relate to. It is a must see this Edinburgh fringe!!!
Participants - for further details on our audience and published review policies, including how to add or opt out of reviews, please click here.
There are no professional reviews for this show.
Participants - for further details on our audience and published review policies, including how to add or opt out of reviews, please click here.
Participants - for further details on our audience and published review policies, including how to add or opt out of reviews, please click here.