Anna Leong Brophy @ Pleasance Courtyard

Anna Leong Brophy has a lot going on. She’s just been born, conveniently in the form of a sexy space alien. She has no idea what love is, what clothes are, or how to eat a sandwich. And, in true Edinburgh style, she has some extremely refreshed audience members who find themselves being escorted out by Pleasance security in the first five minutes. It’s to Leong Brophy’s credit that rather than putting her off her stride, this last unscripted intervention seems to give her yet more zing.

This is a clever, pointed hour which is nevertheless extremely funny. It’s a sidelong look at the patriarchy through the eyes of an innocent newbie, who has the handy ability to be able to switch between different “girl modes”, from ditzy blonde to hooker with a heart, each new incarnation demonstrating just how crappy life can be for those not called Chris (be it Nolan, Pine, Pratt, Evans, or Hemsworth).

The show might not have a huge production budget but it makes good use of what it does. Leong Brophy’s incarnations as different female stereotypes are particularly well-choreographed, and she’s a confident enough performer to be able to adlib if things occasionally run askew. She leads her audience by the hand rather than ranting, and her ambitious crowd work sees her dragging up audience members to play different roles to great effect. The “volunteer” she ropes in to play a two-hander with her is so good, in fact, we initially thought she that might have been a plant.

Born Sexy Yesterday juggles multiple tropes while never feeling hopeless. This could be a finger-wagging exercise, but in fact the playful way Leong Brophy attacks her serious subject matter never strays into preaching to the choir. Whether she’s raising an eyebrow at the Bechdel Test or skewering Leonardo di Caprio, this show will have you loving the alien.

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Anna Leong Brophy: Born Sexy Yesterday, Pleasance Courtyard (Below), until 30 Aug (not 18), 5.40pm, £12.50-15.50