Critics who all look and thing the same, says Anu Vaidyanathan

I believe there is no diversity in the reviewers who walk through one's door at the Edinburgh Fringe. Those who have been into my show are all of one demographic and I cannot take them seriously.

One reviewer even thought I was debuting this year which made me wonder whether English is still the first language in Edinburgh. Or the fact that I classified the show correctly as a mix of stand-up and theatre was missed in the memo. Sorry, I don't want to joke about having my tenth orgasm, I have more political spheres to cover than my own body. 

While the Fringe would like to call itself an international platform, it really is not. For comics like me, who are not from the UK and competing with outside pressures including the expenses of coming in, it would be foolish to tie one's self-esteem to the opinions of pre-pubescent fraternities or sororities who all look and think the same.

It is not good enough for these folks that the room is laughing - all that matters is that they are not laughing. That isn't too surprising as a brown citizen of the world - our tax money is good enough, we are not.

I thought it was unfair to have no budget for a PR at the Fringe last year but even with limited help this year, the outcome isn't too different. And it won't be next year either. Or the year after that.

Unless there are people who have at least mirrored a part of one’s experiences who sit in judgment. The good news is, no one gives a shit about reviews when the houses are close to full without buying one's own tickets and handing them out. Which are tactics I have never pulled and have no temptation to pull. I always figured if I had the extra cash, I would hire more posters to put up. 

Being an athlete [a triathlete], I expect the ground to be level with effort, but I am old enough to know that would not be the case in this new neck of the woods called the arts. Life is far more subjective, the misogyny far more palpable and the question ‘where are you from?’ almost a relief in the non-stop, sliding scale downwards.

• Anu Vaidyanathan: Blimp is on at Underbelly Bristo Square at 7.15pm

Published: 16 Aug 2023