Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

It’s simultaneously a relaxing and exciting feeling sitting down for a new show by Crybabies, the luxury leather-lined sportscar of the sketch world, knowing that the group’s perfectionism is about to ensure a very fast ride in total comfort. 

That sensation is magnified more than ever this year, as the trio of Michael Clarke, Ed Jones and James Gault have received a significant upgrade to their production budget – their third show is more well-oiled and handsomely-upholstered than ever, replete with props, projections, well-made costumes and an impressive soundscape.

The project is The Scaring, an all-purpose horror spoof concept that’s been in the works for some time. They were initially scheduled for the 2025 festival but ended up withdrawing late in the game. The group are notorious perfectionists, which means we don’t always get a new show as often as we’d like, but the results so far have always been worth waiting for.

The Scaring finds the group in similar multi-roles as usual. Fresh-faced Clarke is the everyman hero Father Holland, previously one of a pair of gun-toting exorcists, now the proprietor of an immersive stag do experience and smash burger restaurant since the gruesome death of his partner Father Barrett. 

Holland is done with the world of ghosts, but they ain’t done with him, and he’s quickly pulled back for one last job, the investigation of a haunted hotel run by creepy proprietor (Jones) and his giant baby (Gault). Jones, as always, is tapped for his impressive range of voices and ability to create a character in seconds – Gault for the incredible deadpan that makes him the secret sauce of every Crybabies outing.

Aside from the expensive staging, what else is new? Well, not a whole lot – the horror elements are a new addition to the palette, and there are lots of loud moments on the soundtrack that coincide with sudden developments on stage, but I’m not sure you could call them jump scares exactly, as the group are too busy cracking jokes to build much tension. 

The first half has a number of fantastic rug-pulls, but in the second half, many elements return from their 2022 show Bagbeard, including the lone musical number with roughly the same timestamp as last time, and the now-familiar slightly confusing and noisy special effects climax. 

This familiarity doesn’t detract at all from the insane hit rate of the jokes, which is the signature of every Crybabies show. On a molecular level, The Scaring is full of brilliant moments of creativity, and will make you laugh until you see stars – it’s truly bewildering stuff how many bangers they can pack into an hour. For Crybabies devotees, the formula may now be recognisable as a formula, but it yields undeniably spectacular results.

Review date: 16 Aug 2026
Reviewed by: Tim Harding
Reviewed at: Pleasance Courtyard