Lady Garden

Pleasance Courtyard
4-30 August, 18.20

Back for a third consecutive year, this all-girl sketch group are ringing the changes. Not only have they ditched their regulation green tunics for some natty new floral numbers, their material also seems cut from a different (dare I say more meta) cloth.

From the opening mini-me joke to a final run-in with their tech lady, lines are blurred between comedy and reality in ways we associate more with the likes of Tim Key, who conquered this same room last year. Accusing an audience member of stalking – “Her eyes are following me round the room” – is inspired. It’s only a shame some jokes lack the ebullience that made Lady Garden such fun to watch in the past.

As ever, there’s some superb acting on display. Special mention for Hannah Dodd’s creepy housewife, one of several episodic jokes that add depth to the set. But having loosened up the format, Lady Garden now need to tighten up their editing to ensure the next dose of comedy is big as well as clever.