One in Four

The best surprise of this Fringe for me! The play is smart, hilarious, and the acting perfect. I loved the absurd comedy, the logic of the characters and their relationships, Lou was my favourite (and his stand-up comedy was a great highlight). I want tonsee more of this!

A smart, creative commentary on the awkward interactions and misunderstandings between people. The alien characters could easily be seen as disabled or neurodivergent characters, living in a normal society, trying to get through the day.

This team needs an earlier time slot next year. We almost missed this diamond in the rough! My friends and I were dying of laughter throughout almost the entire show. Definitely one of the best plays I’ve seen at the fringe!

An incredibly smart absurd comedy, poking fun at society via the odd habits, awkward interactions, and rambling musings of 4 extraterrestrial roommates. It’s the perfect mix of both genuine insight and stupid fun. Impeccable comedic timing and great performances. My friends and I laughed out loud throughout almost the entire show.

Exceptionally funny and brilliant! Would strongly recommend. Slay!

One in Four pulls back the curtain on the coming alien invasion to hilarious results. Humanity may be doomed but I really don’t feel so bad after seeing One in Four.

I was literally a different person after seeing this show. So freaking hilarious, and everyone is putting their whole alien-ussy into this show. Not to be missed, and a perfect way to spend your evening.

What is weird is the concept that 4 aliens end up living together and trying to convince each other that they are not aliens. What is weirder is that... you believe it? Each character felt so thought out in their individual brand of oddity that within this odd little world on a tiny stage - you really feel like they are 4 aliens in an apartment. It was an uplifting performance in the true spirit of EdFringe - where it's possible for someone to wake up one morning with a "hey guys I've got this ridiculous idea for a play" and everyone just makes it happen. The cast seemed to have a brilliant time performing it and it was an overall enjoyable experience. But - you're not sold by the show description alone, this might not be the performance for you, because it is exactly what it says on the label.

Anyone who frequents comedy shows or comedic theater knows one thing: it’s usually bad. The pattern goes something like this: a middle aged white man walks up to the stage and says something along the lines of “Marriage is a prison. My wife hates me. She makes me eat her pussy. But it’s old and wrinkled, just like her. Hey, is anyone here on a date? Oh she doesn’t look too sure that it’s a date. Is it complicated? She looks a little old, are you eating wrinkled pussy?” Any laughter you hear from the audience is out of fear. Then the guy will go, “You guys are too woke to get my jokes.” Going to a comedy show is usually an experience that leaves you wishing AI would write jokes instead because as the saying goes, “I would choose the bear.”
One in Four is a comedy that reminds you it’s possible to tell original and witty jokes that will make you laugh out of your seat. Four aliens are sent to Earth to learn more about the human species in order to prepare for their invasion. However, every roommate in Portland, Oregon is an alien pretending to be a human. They pick up weird habits like licking someone’s arm after a handshake. The word slay is misused. They spout stereotypes about Jewish people completely based off of Seinfeld. One of the men even gives a comedy show where all the sketches are about how he hates his wife’s old, dry pussy. None of the performers missed a single beat. The actors had impeccable timing even as they struggled to hold in a laugh. The characters were exceptionally weird in a manner that was deeply endearing. Each line of dialogue was smart and the actors easily transformed them into plot points.
While I believe the dialogue and show itself are exceptionally strong, it feels like the writers didn’t know how to end it or what the meaning of all this banter was. At one point the character even says, “Is this weak writing, for me to point out that the meaning of this is that I’m just lonely?” Then he goes into a maybe-comedic-maybe-serious monologue about how life is a kayak that you’re all alone in, rowing down a river. I believe that if the main character was more than just funny and sad, there could be a more fleshed out meaning to his character arc. However, he just seems like a sad joke machine as opposed to a real character. The show might have to trade off a random joke in place of more character development.

It’s important for reviews to be honest, as neither audience nor performer wants someone sat for fifty minutes who won’t gamely enjoy their show. So, for One in Four, I would say - the premise of the show is excellent, but the brand of humour is very specific and if you're not onboard with extremes of silliness and volume then this will be a tedious fifty minutes. It starts off well, and the sound design adds to the comedy, but it is like a Saturday Night Live sketch stretched out to fifty minutes. It has the same American brand of humour as that show: funny voices, extreme emotions, non-sequitur, and plenty of yelling. If you enjoy that, you'll probably have a good evening, and the audience when we went were laughing throughout - though their laughter at seemingly random things (in-jokes?) suggests you need to know someone in the cast to get all of the references.

For some this will be a fun part of the start of their night out, but if you're looking for something polished and subtle - look elsewhere.

I couldn't stop laughing through this show, a hilarious idea that was executed brilliantly, a brilliant way to point out the odd habits of humanity

A silly, weird show that is I found compelling and unique. And even within the show’s odd exterior is a compelling exploration on what makes humans human.

I can see what this wanted to do but some of the jokes really fell flat for me. It's very over the top and rather predictable so I didn't enjoy it very much

Great concept for a show and hilarious !

A really unique concept that was excellently executed. Their performance, while expectantly wierd, was amazing and really worked. I had a lot a fun watching! Solid 10/10 and would recommend for everyone to see!