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Julia Masli: ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

 
Matt Brown Review by Matt Brown 5 Published: 16 Aug 2025 Pleasance Dome Show Dates: 11 Aug 2025-24 Aug 2025

Julia Masli: ha ha ha ha ha ha ha is now in its third year at the Fringe, and it has grown from a fantastic late-night clown show to an unmissable cult masterpiece performed around the world.

An hour of hilarious, and often deeply emotionally affecting theatre

The concept is simple: Masli approaches audience members with a microphone on the end of a prosthetic leg, and asks, “Problem?” This facilitates an hour of hilarious, and often deeply emotionally affecting, theatre. One audience member responds that he is tired, as he has just arrived in Edinburgh that morning and has already seen six shows. Masli speaks gently to him about the importance of sleep and pacing oneself, pulls a double bed onto the stage, and invites him to nap for the rest of the show. Another man states that he is unhappy, and doesn’t like himself, and Masli has the audience shout compliments at him before having us carry him on our shoulders while the crowd cheers and applauds.

The show is gentle and deeply heartwarming in many ways, but also carries a tone of darkness and danger – of not knowing what she’ll do next. Masli paces up and down the aisles slowly and deliberately, dressed like a Victorian alien, while dark and serious synth music plays in the background. She asks cutting follow-up questions of participants, with no care for social etiquette or what you’re “not meant to ask”. She is probing and deeply present, like a therapist who has just landed on earth – someone who cares deeply about us but who is also scarily unpredictable and unknowable.

The stagecraft of ha ha ha ha ha ha ha is fantastic. Most of the problems that are brought to her lead to a prop being used that feels as if it was placed on stage especially for them. The night has a magical quality and leaves me wondering how all of this was possible. I won’t go into detail on what these props and prepared elements were, as I am sure many will be used for different purposes in future shows, and the surprise is a big part of the fun.

If you enjoy clowning and deeply personal, honest audience engagement, you owe it to yourself to see Julia Masli: ha ha ha ha ha ha ha – even if you have caught it in previous years.

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The Blurb:

The blurb is: hahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahaha hihihi hahahahahahahaha hoho hahahhahahaha hehe hahahahahahahahahaha. Nominated Best Show Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2023 and Melbourne International Comedy Festival Awards 2024. Sold-out runs in Edinburgh, Melbourne, New York, LA, Washington DC. 'Top Pick of The Year' (New York Times, Guardian, Time Out, Telegraph). 'So, that’s how cults are born' (New York Times). ***** (Guardian). ***** (Telegraph). ***** (Time Out). ***** (Chortle.co.uk).