Edinburgh Fringe review

For her third show, South-African born comedian Courtney Buchner returns once more to the long-form storytelling that characterised her first two hours. 

This new one is about her relationship with her friend Stella, who she met shortly after beginning school in the UK, and who was once an exemplar of ‘the romance of female friendships’. So how did someone with whom she was once so close, and with whom she underwent so many of the shared humiliation rituals that lock teenage friendships in stone, wind up not attending Buchner’s wedding?

The answer is not actually particularly dramatic, but that’s kind of the point of this story, which is at its most interesting when reflecting on the ways that female friendships, like any other romances, can sometimes wither on the vine in ways that don’t seem to make dramatic sense. 

There’s an implication here that Stella’s estrangement relates to Buchner’s sexuality, and Stella’s inability to reframe her childhood memories in light of Buchner’s coming out, but there’s never a big bust-up scene to drive it home or result in a tearful reconciliation in the 55^th minute.

Which is not to say that the show is dramatically inert, it’s just a little more low-key than you might expect from Buchner’s tone. Her stage persona is all Millennial Instagram-reel girly, pretty big on mannerisms, certainly engaging but not too distinctive, like a more subdued version of Helen Bauer or a less Type-A version of Catherine Bohart. 

Nevertheless, her storytelling skills make for an absorbing watch, and she structures the narrative adeptly, jumping us around in time and space while maintaining a clear roadmap of where we’re going. 

It’ll be relatable to anyone who’s ever drifted apart from an old friend, although on a comedic level it’s usually more fun than funny – Buchner’s show is the work of a raconteur who takes pleasure in the unfolding of the story rather than a comedian intent on bringing the house down.

• Courtney Büchner: One Of The Girls is on at Pleasance Courtyard at 18: 55 daily

Review date: 8 Aug 2026
Reviewed by: Tim Harding
Reviewed at: Pleasance Courtyard