Gráinne Maguire @ Gilded Balloon
A confident hour from a comedian who has hit her stride
Gráinne Maguire is not a lovely girl. Instead of swishy hair and general effortlessness, she tells us, she has a burning desire to be liked and an absolute certainty that her political opinions are the correct ones.
Despite the show’s title, there is thankfully no hint of apology or reticence here; rather, Maguire is on confident, daring form, taking on everything from Ireland’s chequered history to the #MeToo movement and Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams. Occasionally the messaging is confusing for a show that is ostensibly about having your principles and sticking to them: a section about the unspoken appeal of sleazy men starts off strong but ultimately doesn’t conclude with the moral punch that audiences might hope for or expect. Overall, though, Maguire hits the mark, even – and perhaps especially – with material about the church’s child abuse scandal and sectarian violence.
I Forgive You; Please Like Me follows a string of successful Fringe runs and writing credits on some of TV and radio’s biggest comedy shows for Maguire, and her experience shows. This is a self-assured performance from a woman who has mastered her craft and who, ironically given the show’s title, leaves the audience with little choice but to like her.
Gráinne Maguire: I Forgive You; Please Like Me, Gilded Balloon, Teviot Row House (Wee Room), 1-26 Aug, 3.15pm, £6-9.50
Scroll on to read more of The Skinny's 2018 Edinburgh Fringe comedy reviews; click here for a round-up of all the best reviews from this year's comedy and theatre programmes