Kate Dehnert @ Pleasance Courtyard

Echo storms in, cries to the heavens, knocks some shit about, makes you howl with laughter, and then soothes you with some of the best beats at the festival.

Told simply, Dehnert’s debut is about the break-up to end all break-ups. A thoroughly devastating experience which left the comic mentally and personally unstable, Echo is a whistlestop tour of the implosion of Dehnert’s seemingly solid relationship and her (understandably) slow recovery, all soundtracked and lit like we’re at a rebound-fuelled club night. It paces and pulses in all the right places, whilst keeping you gripped until the very end.

First you’ll gasp at her ex’s gaslighting and narcissism (maybe laughing uneasily as you identify this behaviour in others), then cackle at his reason for leaving Dehnert alone in a Berlin art gallery. Finally, you’ll SCREAM as Dehnert gets back in the saddle for one of the funniest sexting sessions known to the stage.

The comic takes us to some dark, dark places, but balances them with white-hot wit and surreal songs about Aussie department stores. It could feel like theatre in some places, but Dehnert never lets you forget the show’s purpose – to make you laugh. If there are any flaws, it’s that our villain only gets a minor comeuppance, with the room baying for blood. It’s still satisfying but not quite as eviscerating as he deserves.

Kate Dehnert has created much more than just a Fringe show in Echo; it’s an hour of possibility, of what a comedy hour can be at this festival, along the lines of Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette or Richard Gadd’s Monkey See Monkey Do. It feels like Dehnert has unlocked the rare feat of reshaping what a Fringe show can be, whilst weaving in some of the best jokes at the festival.

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Kate Dehnert: Echo, Pleasance Courtyard (Baby Grand), until 30 Aug (not 24), 7.05pm, £11.50-£14.50