AYOADE BAMGBOYE: Swings and Roundabouts

4 stars ~

Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Fringe ~

An entertaining hour in the company of vibrant and charismatic Ayoade Bamgboye proves that a comedy show can be both fast-talking and warmly reflective, a blend of interesting anecdotes and playful invention that paints a picture while keeping the audience happily laughing throughout.

From the moment she announces she had to “reorder her prefrontal cortex” before diving into a surreal Co-op showdown over a box of tea, Ayoade’s natural warmth and chatty stage presence connect instantly.

She takes us from being the insufferable and powerful five-year-old first-born twin in Nigeria(where mythology gives twins an extra glow), by way of the disillusioned seeker of feminism and scotch eggs in England, to a job in Budapest assisting a Hollywood director, with late-night calls to the Samaritans, completed with a poignant song to an audience member.

Each tale is appealingly layered with satire and sincerity, and always delivered with a twinkle that elicited genuine laughter.

The content often circles heavy themes of loss, rage, cultural expectations, but the mood is happy throughout, because Ayoade engenders infectious laughter even when confessing to skiing when supposedly in mourning.

By the time we loop back to that Co-op, the audience has been swept along on a witty, warm, and engaging journey. The audience loved the show; she certainly knows how to sell it.

Reviewed by RoxyReviews for One4Review on 17 August 2025