Caroline Rhea @ Gilded Balloon Teviot

Caroline Rhea. That's her off of Sabrina, you know.

Unfortunately if you're reading this then, yes, you probably do know. Rhea's audience is a strange one; they're not comedy fans, they're Sabrina fans, and I think this does her an injustice. I'm not generally one to blame the audience for the failures in a performance, but it seems to throw her off kilter and it's very annoying when a reference to a talking cat raises a bigger cheer than some of her more carefully written material. 

She is supported by her partner, Costaki Economopoulos; this is a risky plan, but he is a relievingly funny performer. He's a bit too laid back though, and doesn't really fulfill his title as a warm-up act. As she threatens to overrun her time, I'd question whether she needs a support act at all; especially when she's going to repeat one of his jokes. This is unsurprising, as both performers seem to be suffering from Fringe fatigue and the warmth expressed towards the audience seems fake. They'd both be better to drop the all-American smile and let the bile flow.

As she herself admits, her performance lacks focus and she is easily distracted. At times, this is adorably skittish, at others, a frustating addition to the myriad of factors that distract from what I believe at its core to be a perfectly good, funny show.