Words: Aria Tsvetanova

Following his success on Instagram and TikTok, Daniel Foxx brings an intimate and honest stand-up routine to the Fringe. While his social media skits involve taking on the role of exaggerated characters, Foxx’s stand-up is a personal story of growing up gay in the early 2000s through to the mid-2010s. 

The show’s central concept is the queer-coded villains which inspired and fascinated Foxx as a child. This feels like a natural progression from Foxx’s online skit character ‘the villain’s gay assistant’.  The majority of villains Foxx discusses are Disney characters: Ursula, Jafar and Captain Hook, which gives his jokes a decidedly millennial slant. While that does not diminish the thesis of the show or make the jokes less funny, it does limit the prospective audience. 

Nevertheless, the routine is filled with funny and occasional heartfelt moments such as Foxx’s grandma unwittingly attending Brighton pride or him being cast as myrrh in the school nativity play. The show adopts a rather meandering drifting structure but is funny enough that time flies by. The routine is at its best when it critiques straight male culture. Standout moments include Foxx’s jokes about male role model James Bond and the type of men who idolise him.

The show also includes some singing and keyboard-playing, demonstrating that Foxx has talents beyond his sense of comedic timing and his ability to deliver sassy one-liners. A great show to see for the queer theatre kids out there!


Daniel Foxx: Villain
Pleasance Courtyard, Baby Grand
19.05, 23.00
13, 15-27 Aug