Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Chelsea Birkby's day job is as a science communicator and she's brought some of those skills to bear on this show, which aims to teach us how we can all ‘dominate our destiny’. 

The goal – inspired by a stage magician whose trick forced her to question her belief in free will – is to instil the skills needed to achieve complete subjugation of anybody by ‘toxic force’. 

Such Machiavellian aims stand in contrast to the gregarious, unthreatening woman who stands on stage with a relaxed presence. But she has a manipulative alter ego, CheChe, whom she unleashes to intimidate the audience… though you might struggle to spot much difference, since being a badass is not really in Birkby's purview, even via an avatar.

However, the show often feels more like a talk than stand-up, heavy on PowerPoint slides and getting tied up in jargon and explaining theories like ‘the appeal to scarcity’, as advocated by cheesy American self-help guru Tony Robbins.

She's more fun when she moves away from the lecture’s topic, for example, giving us the lowdown on her family – including dad and uncle Terry, who talk in Jamaican patois for no reason.

The bottom line is that she’s trying to get more assertive to avoid being ‘mugged off’, which speaks to the broader topic of the marginalisation of women. She raises this topic – alongside the issue of sexualisation – with playful sarcasm.

The show also remains fun, but the PowerPoint –and CheChe – get in the way of the best bit, which is Birkby herself.

Review date: 19 Aug 2026
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Pleasance Courtyard