Words: Calum Baxter

4 Stars

Scooping a £10,000 prize for her “Edinburgh Comedy Award” win for Best Show back in 2018, Rose Matafeo became the first New Zealander, the first person of colour and only the fourth other female to win the prestigious award.

Following on from this, Rose took a break from stand-up comedy to concentrate on acting, writing
and directing. From the looks of the packed room at the Pleasance Courtyard audience appetite for
her stand-up comedy has not waned in the slightest.

An energetic, fast-paced set which explores the relentlessness of life and expectations put upon women which primarily focuses on her journey to try and improve her romantic life through relationship coaching with mixed results. Opening her set with an “impromptu” dance to her walk-on music, I found the staging
very clever as Rose continued to avoid stepping into a single spotlight on the stage. She confesses to the audience that she is not good at ending her shows before detailing a time she had written a note on her phone notes app which was over 16,000 words long which she printed off and brought on stage.

If Rose had not been so disparaging of those who use notepads to write down notes, I might have been
able to share with you more explicitly what the comedian talked about on stage but, alas, you’ll just have to go and see the show for yourself.

Rose Matafeo: On and On and On
Pleasance Courtyard – Forth
17:30
Aug 12 – 16, 18 – 25