Amy Gledhill @ Monkey Barrel

Best known up until now as one half of The Delightful Sausage, this is Amy Gledhill’s solo Edinburgh Fringe debut, and it’s a beauty. Taking us on a whistle-stop tour of her romantic misadventures, Gledhill has the audience glued to every word and gesture. Laughter, gasps, some sharp intakes of breath; the room is enthralled.

From the very low bar set by an early encounter in Spiders, one of Hull’s finest nightclubs, through to the earnest endeavours of Andy and his catch-all solution to every problem, to ‘the Destroyer’, whose massive feet and towering height leads to the nervous, pre-emptive purchase of lube and a shoehorn, Gledhill’s stories of romantic mishap more than deliver on the ‘juicy’ tales she promises.

She’s a vivid storyteller, and creates gorgeously comic vignettes – two moments in particular prompting tears of laughter: a gruelling anniversary ‘treat’ which nearly breaks her, and the final story of her and her partner haplessly, helplessly stoned in Pizza Express. There are no shadows – there may be childhood humiliations, and romantic disappointments but it’s spun into comedy gold, all heartache transformed into hilarity.

The resilience that’s perhaps the abiding theme of the show is also evident in the occasional glimpse of more recent experiences; dealing both with lecherous and intimidating male audiences, and tricky encounters beyond the club. Through her comic skill (and the strategic use of a dog toy), she transforms one particularly fraught moment – and as she savours its sweetness, we can’t help but share in her triumph.

“What a joy” comments one woman leaving the venue, and it’s impossible to disagree.

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Amy Gledhill: The Girl Before The Girl You Marry, Monkey Barrel (Carnivore 2), until 28 Aug, 3.30pm, sold out, returns only

Extra show at Monkey Barrel (MB4), 26 Aug, 9.15pm, £9