Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

A powerhouse of pure stand-up, New York based Gianmarco Soresi establishes his command of the room from the get-go with the casual assertiveness that marks out the best of the breed. A mischievous but insistent force of personality drags you into his orbit, where he holds you until he’s good and ready to release you.

His presence is obvious even from the YouTube clips of his live work on which he’s built a substantial fan base, but he has more than enough chops to sustain a longer form, even without the big Fringe-friendly theme.

A proud provocateur, Soresi is brilliant at being edgy without being an asshole about it.  He teases that he’s just one joke away from getting cancelled, disowned by his fans. But thankfully his hot take on ‘cancel culture’ is more nuanced and mature than most edgelords, accepting that it’s reasonable for a comic to sacrifice material for the greater good. 

A bad-faith actor could definitely take his gags about Kevin Spacey and Israel or the positive side of Jeffrey Epstein out of context to cause trouble. However, with his ironic attitude and teasing set-ups, these are well-constructed and funny – and with crystal-clear intent. 

Speaking about AI, he notes that no robot – however perfectly it might one day be able to craft a joke – will ever be able to recreate the real thrill of live stand-up, with rough-around-the-edges material that has the potential to fail.

That authenticity of being in the moment, not quite sure of what the comic will say, is where Soresi thrives. No wonder he is known for crowd work, and, indeed, in this show some quick-thinking badinage gives the performance a unique flow and structure. 

When he unveils new material at the end – about his dad’s dick – it reveals his craftsmanship that goes into each routine, as he rattles off a dozen punchlines to the same set-up, varying from the good to the brilliant. Our feedback will determine which makes it through to future shows.

A cheerfully cynical comedian, quite a few of Soresi’s punchlines feel like things he wished he’d thought of at the time. Or maybe did think of them, but decided they shouldn’t be aired in polite company. A comedy club, though, that’s a different prospect.

Material about his relationship never feels clichéd, saying he won’t fall into the common trap of extrapolating his girlfriend’s behaviour to assume that applies to all women. Then he immediately sabotages that worthy intent with an expert gag. Wittily, he portrays his arguments with his partner as essentially parroting their separate therapists’ opinion.

He touches on politics, his ADHD and his Jewish identity, but never goes too deep, with his stance on any hot-button topic simply to go for the best joke possible. The grimness of the news gives his lines extra grit, but he doesn’t want to remind you too much of the real world. 

Soresi makes stand-up look easy, but that’s because there’s so much precision engineering under the hood. The impression may be that he’s driving recklessly, but he always  knows exactly what he’s doing.

Review date: 24 Aug 2025
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Monkey Barrel Comedy Club