Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Villain Era is Juliette Burton’s celebration of the nerd - a demographic that will not be hard to find at the Edinburgh Fringe. She is a proud one herself, a keen devourer of comic books, which extends to a prolific hobby cosplaying at Comic Cons.

But talking about niche passions to an audience that might not share them comes with pitfalls, as everything needs to be explained. This means that after an ice-breaking introduction to her world (and a neat gag about her ADHD and autism) the show settles into a repetitive rhythm. 

We’re introduced to a long series of comic-book characters, their roles and powers within their alternate universe – from which Burton extrapolates how this relates to the real-world society that spawned them. Finally, a few PowerPoint slides of her wearing the appropriate outfit outside a regional conference centre, before we move on to the character.

Not much of this drills especially deep. It will come as little surprise to be told that female characters are oversexualised, depicted in flesh-baring outfits that accentuate impossibly proportioned tits and ass, or how smart independent women have always been portrayed as witches.

There’s occasionally something more interesting, such as older women doubting their wisdom with phrases such as ‘maybe I’m crazy but…’, having been conditioned into demurral over a lifetime of sexism. 

But much of the show is Feminism 101, with messaging that isn’t hidden in any clever or obtuse way. Villain Era can therefore feel TED-Talky as Burton concludes sections with direct statements such as: ‘I’d love it if women weren’t judged on what they wear’ - which is hard to disagree with, but neither subtle nor surprising.

Jokes are generally lightweight and while Burton sometimes alights on a neat punchline, most don’t elevate beyond amusing asides, secondary to the points she devotes quite a long time to making.

There’s a suggestion this show is built on the comedian entering her own villain era, doing what she wants with no fear of what people will say of her. After all, traditionally she may have been considered a villain for who she is – polyamorous, pansexual,  even mentally ill – rather than any evil intent. 

Yet this assertion goes against the fact she comes across as a people-pleaser – at least to some extent – with a friendly, keep-everyone-included delivery that binds a disparate audience together.

The overlap between nerdiness and other subcultures also remains relatively unexplored, with her introduction to the world of sex parties mentioned tantalisingly in passing towards the end of a show that has some charm, but not enough oomph.

Review date: 8 Aug 2026
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Gilded Balloon Teviot