Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Be Fruitful has all the trappings of a theatrical one-person show, but Guy Branum insists he’d never be so gauche nor so self-indulgent as to add to this overworked, solipsistic genre. Not for him the exploitation of his personal narrative for ‘performative sadness’ – unlike certain other artists, who he’s happy to call out. 

Instead, the American comedian promises to answer the biggest question of all: the meaning of life. Though to simplify that conundrum, he’ll start with his own life. And if that sounds like reneging on a promise, it won’t be the only time… 

His life as a fat, gay man is initially examined through the twin lenses of science and faith. In typically contrarian style, he won’t join the parade of comedians mocking religion. Even if most belief systems reject him because of his sexuality, he appreciates the order they can bring to people. 

He’s very good at crowd work, a commanding alpha male steamrollering his prey – but in a charming way. He uses that forceful nature to push the collective conversation into distinctly uncomfortable areas, making us question our morality, but with a laugh.

Although constantly presented with arch wit, his thesis gets pretty deep – asking, for example, if his life is a waste if it’s an evolutionary dead end and he doesn’t procreate.

Elsewhere he seeks to reveal the truth behind the gay lifestyle   (or at least the lifestyle lived by a subsection of the community) with an honesty that goes beyond the unthreatening, sanitised, carefully packaged camp with which it’s normally presented. It’s the sort of unvarnished approach that’s previously worked so well for Glasgow’s Scott Agnew.

Branum – who’s a writer on a string of hit US comedies –  also explores why society feels a revulsion towards fat people, continuing the probing nature of an hour that, admittedly, can slip into essay mode. However, that intelligence and gravitas does mean the levity and zippy one-liners, when they come, stand in stark contrast.

So after ignoring his earlier protestations to lead the story into the personal, the show ends up offering an engrossing - if slightly voyeuristic – insight into his life and emotions, while asking uncomfortable questions about wider society. 

Review date: 7 Aug 2026
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Gilded Balloon Teviot