EdFringe Review: Daniel Foxx: How Lovely.

Daniel Foxx is in fine form this Fringe; it seems that singledom suits him, not only on a personal level, but also as a mine of sparkling anecdotal comedy. Underlying his show, aptly titled How Lovely, is a fascination with the rom-com; more specifically, the 90’s rom-coms which promised every ingenue their own Mr Darcy fresh from a dip in the nearest lake.

It’s a smart bit of pop-culture to wrap a set around, and he makes the most of it, opening with the first of three set-piece montages describing his life as the hero-ine of his own cinematic romance. It’s a fab piece of quasi-sketch comedy which finds plenty of laughs in the built-in absurdities of rom-com tropes, and the predictable accompanying soundtracks: KT Tunstall when setting off, Dido when sad…

A Cinematic Romance on Stage

From there, Daniel takes the audience back in time to share his own storybook romance, born on a train, and seemingly destined for happiness. He finds first-rate comedy both in the good times and bad, exhibiting a trademark talent for a well-timed, stinging addendum to a seemingly wholesome comment.

Added to a no-holds-barred approach to self-deprecation — he isn’t the first human to compare themselves to a pig, but his version is far funnier than others — plus some charismatic storytelling, and the result is a first-rate hour of stand-up. Sure, his animus towards Air-Fryers and a couple of other bits lean into a touch of performative outrage, but he can be forgiven.

“He finds first-rate comedy both in the good times and bad, exhibiting a trademark talent for a well-timed, stinging addendum to a seemingly wholesome comment.“

Because, whether it’s becoming an accidental racist, running into unsettling hobbyists on Hinge, or describing his descent into nagging sitcom wife and not Lizzie Bennett, he hits every punchline, gilding many with a penchant for the genuinely funny physical gesture. Daniel Foxx is a pretty kinetic comedian with a gossipy, light-camp charm, to say the least. Indeed, it’s impressive how well he maintains his energised, dynamic style from start to end — that 21st-century fitness regime is clearly working well.

Modern Dating and Relationship Realities

Suffice to say, the course of romantic love did not run smooth, and whilst it must have been painful to live through, he’s clearly had time to find the funny side. He’s also mined some pretty sharp, and somewhat mordant observational schtick about relationship dynamics, whilst developing a righteous fondness for the killjoy wives to the supposedly ‘good guy’ husbands so popular in TV drama even now. His tales from a home rigged to the nines with smart-tech are also reliably funny.

There really isn’t a dull moment in the show — and having read some reviews of the show before it arrived in Edinburgh — it’s clear he’s worked hard to perfect a show that mightn’t have been as tight previously. Either that or I have a greater fondness for the romcom genre he riffs on all night, pulling in smart, frequently acid references to everything from Pride & Prejudice (the good 90’s BBC version, not the so-so adaptations that followed) to Love Actually and Notting Hill (ok so that’s not that big a range)—alongside a brilliant detour into the eye-opening literary world of ‘romantasy’ (that’s fantasy porn to the uninitiated). Either way, bravo Daniel.

Is his final message maybe a little too wholesome given the journey to reach it? Maybe, but it gets a laugh. If it is a slightly too-neat bow on a messy breakup saga, the ride there is consistently sharp and funny.