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Josie Long: Now Is the Time of Monsters

 
Victor Black Review by Victor Black 4 Published: 26 Aug 2025 Pleasance Dome Show Dates: 30 Jul 2025-24 Aug 2025

Josie Long is one of the most infectious performers you could hope to see. Few comics have her mastery of physicality and tonal nuance, demonstrating how intimately she knows her stage extension of herself with every syllable, movement and inflection. I would suggest this could only be achieved with generations of practice – but it was also true when I first saw her headline a comedy night at university, back in autumn 2003.

Big laughs flying about from a national treasure-in-the-making

In her 2025 show, Now Is the Time of Monsters, Josie is back jumping around subjects – and indeed the room itself – as she energetically turns the whole venue into her canvas. Lots of comics cover plenty of ground in an hour, but few compare to Josie in the deftness and dexterity with which she weaves in and out of narrative threads (whale diets are a particular highlight). The audience are kept on their toes but never left scratching their heads. It’s the perfect amount to follow, delivered at the perfect pace.

Over the course of the hour Josie refers to many giant prehistoric creatures, questions of morality and updates on her current life. The poignant messages she delivers about the state of the world manage to be interesting and funny, without ever verging on preachy.

A couple of off-the-cuff comments suggest Long wasn’t really feeling the audience that day. I could picture her telling fellow performers the crowd was subpar, even though from within it, it felt like we were all with her. While she was careful not to make us feel bad about it, she risked alienating herself, and similar comments in the hands of a lesser comic could easily have been enough to drop the show’s rating by a star.

There are epic callbacks throughout – but you’d expect nothing less from a seasoned pro of Josie’s calibre. The audience hangs on her every word, with big laughs flying about from a national treasure in the making, and an epic conclusion that ties everything together to perfection.

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The Blurb:

A new show about extinct, gigantic, charismatic megafauna from three-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee, Josie Long. In these troubled times, in this wicked world, it can feel like apocalypse is everywhere. Also my daughter has a hamster and I'm not saying distract yourself from everything, but I'm saying he's also part of everything. Josie (me) is back with a new show about discovery, wonder, extinction and how to walk through a landscape of monstrous disaster. There is also a good tip about silt, guaranteed. **** (Guardian). ***** (Skinny). **** (Chortle.co.uk).