August 13, 2026 at Pleasance Courtyard, Upstairs
This show is ostensibly based around how trans people relate to watching football, though that framing device is used lightly (to the point where I wished it had come up a bit more, but that’s my personal interest, most Fringe fans will be just fine with football not playing a major role in a show). The real underlying theme is about the transitory nature of identity, with gender transition as a metaphor that illustrates many ways to be at “in-between” parts of life. And, occasionally, as a metaphor for the England football team.
If you want to enjoy that philosophical idea, it’s there for the taking and it’s interesting. However, if you just want to sit back and laugh at a gag-packed solidly structured hour of entertainment, this show allows for that too. Right from the beginning, there’s a sense that you’re in safe hands with this one.
It’s an autobiographical show, which means it’s also a show about trans experience, as those are Dee Allum’s experiences, as a trans woman. There are some good digs at JK Rowling (and one particular Harry Potter-based joke that I found extremely funny), some commentary on specifics of transition, humorous back-and-forth between discussions of genitals and discussions of how genitals should be no one’s business (unless it makes a good comedy show), and dissecting what even is a male experience or a female experience, anyway.
Raumdeuter also covers other aspects of life, like family relationships and Allum’s day job. While the routine about how she navigates her day job was among my favourite parts, and a good reminder that stand-ups are often funnier if they can draw on experiences from outside the sphere of just being a stand-up, this show was good enough to mean she should have a future career that’s free of stories about doing work outside of comedy.
Dave Baillie