Comedian and YouTuber Anna Akana‘s Fringe debut is a morbidly funny show that consists of a balancing act between straight up laughs and genuinely shocking material.

Akana can switch between light-hearted anecdotes such as her military veteran father updating the family via Facebook about his time in Ukraine, to darker issues such as her dealing with a recurring stalker with skill. In particular, the subject of suicide is handled in a surprisingly well-balanced way, with Akana’s own darkly humorous personal experiences being weaved in almost-seamlessly with statistical information.

The maintaining of this balance is entirely down to Akana’s skills as a performer – she really knows when to punctuate a serious section with a gag and when to transition from broader comedy into a more sombre tone, which can be seen in the show’s second half.

This section, dealing with the tragic suicide of Akana’s thirteen year old sister, could have easily fallen flat in the hands of a lesser performer and alienated the audience in the process. However, Akana manages to not only convey this traumatic event in a way that manages to get humour out of the situation (whilst in the process involving a deeply personal object) but also use it to show how far she herself has come regarding her own issues with suicidal ideation.

It is to Akana’s credit that ‘It Gets Darker’ works so cohesively. What could have been a death sentence for a first-time comedian at the Fringe is instead an incredibly funny and moving show ultimately conveying how to deal with such a gaping loss.

‘It Gets Darker‘ is at Pleasance Courtyard – Upstairs until Sat 24 Aug 2024 (except Mon 5, 12, and 19) at 17:30