A fun debut show from the American expat comic

Hailing from New Jersey, Jewish comedian Leslie Gold now resides in the UK. In fact, she’s been here so long that when she first moved, “YouTube didn’t exist, Jimmy Saville was still a national treasure and everyone thought George W Bush was going to be the dumbest US president”. This snappy observational wit is the kind you can expect in Chip off the Gold Block – her debut show. “I read that half of comedians do their first show on identity and the other half on dead dads,” she explains. “Well, I have a dead dad too, so I’m doing both.” If you can’t tell already, this is a set about Gold’s life, heritage and family, who apparently “put the FU in dysfunctional”.

Commanding a modest upstairs room at Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe, Gold’s delivery is as bold and warm as her aesthetic. Her hair is dyed purple and silver, and her shirt is a busy paisley print. She delivers her punchlines adeptly entwined in stories about everything from US politics to weird UK place names, nature versus nurture and uncircumcised penises. Plus, of course, her “lovely dead dad”. It’s a warm, inviting and affable show, with a smattering of dick jokes (and DBDs – dick-based decisions), relatable family neuroses and, ultimately, a lot of fun.

By Danielle Goldstein

Leslie Gold: A Chip off the Gold Block runs until Sunday 25 August. 4pm. Pay what you can. Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, EH1 1NE. tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/chip-off-the-gold-block