Saaniya Abbas @ Gilded Balloon, Patter Hoose

The UAE, from a Western perspective at least, doesn’t seem to be a hotbed of laughs, but Fringe debutante Saaniya Abbas is here to prove us wrong. Raised in India, but now living in Dubai, Abbas guides us through her life as a ‘bad Muslim’ and her inevitable journey to Jahannam (Islam's "afterlife of divine justice", i.e. Hell). She’s refreshingly candid around sex and booze, using her cat-ear hair and sweet demeanour as the perfect disguise – innocently questioning her audience members before opening a trap door ("What does your girlfriend call your penis?", for example).

You could almost consider the hour a showreel of Abbas' talents. Her anecdotes around being divorced (which coincidentally put her on the path to stand-up), a sex therapist who can’t even say the word, and getting a colonoscopy show off her storytelling chops, whilst her ‘plink plonky blimey’ British impressions and a standout (terrible) David Attenborough voice really endear her to the crowd, along with her twisty audience interaction.

But it's her writing that's totally knockout. It's brilliantly sharp and punchy, with something almost retro about the strength of her punchlines. That's not to say her stuff is old-fashioned, just that it's superbly honed (which isn't that surprising given she's been gigging in New York, Dubai and across the UK over the past year or so).

Hellarious is a fully-formed hour from a distinctive new voice at the festival, opening a window on a country that rarely gets an airing at the Fringe. Abbas toys with racial stereotypes and properly flips them, surprising some of the most dedicated Fringe-goers in this tightly-written, hugely playful hour. It’s shows like this which really underline how brilliantly diverse the Fringe and its artists can be, and how grateful we are to have the festival on our doorstep.

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Saaniya Abbas – Hellarious, until 25 Aug, Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose (Bothie), 8pm, £10-£13