Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Who gets to decide what’s authentic and what isn’t, Fab Goualin wonders in his debut show Mixed Messages. 

It’s a question that has personal relevance to him; as a mixed-race man who presents as black, he often finds that people assume he has greater ‘street’ credentials than his background warrants. In fact, he grew up in an affluent home on a tree-lined boulevard and attended a fancy private school. It’s only now as an adult that things are getting a bit more real, ever since he chose the path of stand-up.

Goualin has plenty of identity markers that he could be making use of if he wanted to: as he describes himself, he’s a ‘gay black mixed race second generation immigrant with a nut allergy,’ but this is an inclusive show that works hard to make sure no one is left behind – to the extent that he patiently teaches the crowd some basic terminology like code-switching and intersectionality. 

You wouldn’t necessarily guess it from his stylish black beret, but he’s a real man of the people, projecting a warmth and gentle charisma that, coupled with his beautiful speaking voice, should give him all the credentials he needs for a career in radio.

The jokes are a little gentle as well, though, pleasant and amusing but without anything to really get your teeth into laughter-wise. He’s actually at his best when his humour is informative, like when he gets into the ways that his sexuality conflicts with his Nigerian heritage, or the material about his family, of which there is quite a lot.

It could stand to be fleshed out though – we hear a lot about these characters but he holds them at something of a remove, and the anecdotes jump around all over the place so that no narrative emerges from the clutch of stories we get. 

There’s a way to go if Goualin really wants to stand out from the pack in terms of his comedy, but with his charisma and ability to connect, he makes the consummate host.

Review date: 28 Aug 2026
Reviewed by: Tim Harding
Reviewed at: Gilded Balloon Teviot