Anne Edmonds: No Offence, None Taken

• Kirstyn Smith
• 17 August 2017

Easy-going observational material clashes excitingly with deep, dark issues

Anne Edmonds' good-natured banter as latecomers spill in puts her in the funny but harmless camp. Making it look very easy, she's immediately reminiscent of early 90s Ellen DeGeneres. Then the show's first proper joke (an abortion one) kicks in and the dynamic dramatically shifts.

Edmonds is interested in playing with her audience. She's just as capable acting the stereotypical mid-30s lady growing increasingly confused with men as she is when exploring darker themes: the worst (or best) way to accidentally kill a friend, wanting to end her life when she sees happy families, and finding bizarre but relatable pleasure when men have a secret family in Hong Kong.

'I wanna bake a cake. I have no eggs. I'm going to die alone,' she says, as a way to explain that it doesn't take much for her to spiral. Her upbeat facade and natural ability for observational material makes the truly macabre moments all the more delicious. And these risqué forays are clearly marked as ironic in the way abortion, domestic abuse or mental health jokes should be: victims are never the butt of the joke. No Offence, None Taken is an hour of well-aimed twists and turns that always keep the audience onside.

Underbelly Med Quad, until 27 Aug, 7.55pm, £11–£12 (£10–£11).