Jenny Tian @ Assembly George Square

Jenny Tian's debut hour hits many of the right notes, but can lose sight of its captivating comedic narrative

Review by Rhys Morgan | 12 Aug 2024
  • Jenny Tian

Chinese Australian – Jenny Tian’s debut Edinburgh Fringe hour – is a buoyant hour packed to the brim with earnest sentiment, a veritable sales pitch of Tian’s comedy credentials and career trajectory.

Tian is utterly endearing, clad in a multi-coloured jumpsuit as cheery as her disposition. She queries her audience early, ascertaining whether they’re fans of her TikTok, her run on Taskmaster Australia, or her stand-up. Presented almost as a marketing pitch, Tian stands with a business-like presentation behind her, particularly useful when referencing some of her bigger-hitting TikTok videos. It plays well into the disparagement of her early consulting career, and her genuinely sweet throughline about her burgeoning comedy journey.

The transition from TikTok superstar to stand-up comedian is a difficult vault to land, and the Fringe often proves a particularly difficult arena for this transition (small attendances, odd rooms, long runs), but Tian generates laughter and warmth in the room. Tian is funny, and so are her videos (some played to the audience), but there is a sense of something slightly uncanny, almost sterilised watching Tian’s videos as part of her set.

Chinese Australian provides just as much to the Fringe-goer as it does to the Taskmaster fan or the TikTok scroller, but it’s slightly muddled in its presentation. Tian seeks to stand her ground as a stand-up comedian with an inspiring story of hard work, talent and tenacity, and while giving credence to her social media achievements is a necessary component, leaning on them quite as hard as she does diminishes the victory at the end of her narrative.


Jenny Tian: Chinese Australian, Assembly George Square Studios (Studio 5), until 25 Aug, 6pm, £8-12.50