Evelyn Mok @ Pleasance Courtyard

Hymen Manoeuvre is, predictably, a show about sex. Its success, though, lies in the fact that it’s about so much more than that, using the story of Mok’s adult virginity to explore themes as wide-ranging as immigration, intersectionality and the complex cultural associations ascribed to women’s sexuality.

Mok makes no apologies for blunt references to race, body shape and sexuality, confronting stereotypes about all three and the particular ways in which they intersect to create her own experience. She moves easily between comedy, poignancy and storytelling, and skilfully combines the recounting of her own unique experiences with more widely relatable observations about gendered experiences of sex and navigating the world of dating apps.

Mok’s relaxed and friendly persona makes her performance feel more like an intimate conversation with a friend than a stand-up comedy show at the Fringe, with the sensitive subject matter handled all the better for it. At points she treats truly upsetting admissions like punchlines, looking to the audience for a reaction as they grapple to find the correct one. These moments of reflection are used well, inviting the audience to confront their own prejudices and positions in the world as Mok does brazenly throughout the hour.

Hymen Manoeuvre is an intelligent and sensitive show which seamlessly weaves personal anecdotes with complex cultural and political themes. Mok’s strength is her honesty, and it is in no short supply in this refreshing hour of finely crafted stand-up.

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Evelyn Mok: Hymen Manoeuvre, Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker One), 2-27 Aug (not 14th), 6.00pm, £6-9