REVIEW: Baby of Colour, Olivia Xing, Edinburgh Fringe 2026 ★★★★

“You know what they say: DEI is out, IUD is in!” A gynaecology appointment serves as the basis for an hour of jokes about everything from female empowerment and autonomy to immigration to the wisdom of cats. Olivia Xing’s hysterical, creative stand-up show is both the perfect way to start a day at the Fringe and the kind of cathartic and thoughtful laugh we all need right now in an anxiety-inducing global moment.

What starts as a recounted exchange between Xing and her doctor while trying to get an IUD, or coil — “or as I call it, my zero-child policy” — becomes a layered meditation on the personal and political. The comedian discusses the reluctance to bring a child into the world after Donald Trump’s second election.

Xing delves into her relationship with her Mexican-American husband in a funny bit about marrying for love versus a green card. She recalls learning English for 18 years and still being called unintelligible by a theatre critic. She even starts hearing the disembodied voice of her director — or is it her? — critiquing the show in real time. Baby of Colour strikes an ingenious balance of earnest and witty, finding the humorous in the serious and vice versa.

Xing is infinitely watchable. Her tightly entertaining script goes hand in hand with a spontaneous stage presence that ensures no moment drags or goes to waste: we look forward to an ad lib as much as a meticulously orchestrated punch line. Director Christie Zhao deftly orchestrates the show’s tonal shifts, punctuating each thematic or scenic change with a simple yet effective use of lighting and sound (the increasingly surreal permutations of the doctor’s office dialogue are particularly successful).

The playful energy of the show’s poster, retro comic-inspired and covered in floating baby heads and IUDs framing Xing and her cat Lofi, is equally present in the show itself. Baby of Colour marks the arrival of an exciting new comedic voice that is sure to give life to more prescient material.

Recommended drink: Iced latte (add a splash of Bailey’s if you can’t wait to start drinking).

Catch Olivia Xing: Baby of Colour at Gilded Balloon Teviot from August 18-31 at 11:40 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Box Office.