Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Sorry: A Canadian’s Apology for America
Connor Malbeuf
Genre: Comedy, Multimedia, Political, Solo Show
Venue: Assembly Rooms
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
In this comedic solo piece, Canadian Connor Malbeuf offers an apology to- and for- America. Mixing short film, political commentary, theatrical act-outs, and crowdwork, he delivers a multidimensional performance. He balances gravity and humor with a confident, deliberate pace, unafraid to linger in serious moments before landing perfectly timed laughs.
Review
Most shows at the Edinburgh Fringe are like sitting on a Bangkok street corner with a one-dollar plate of noodles: quick, haphazard, maybe run-inducing. Connor Malbeuf’s Sorry: A Canadian’s Apology for America feels more like stepping into a 7-course fine dining experience- polished, well-paced, and intentionally crafted. For Malbeuf, a Hollywood producer, that may just be another Wednesday.
Performed in the Drawing Room of the 18th century Georgian building Assembly Rooms, the show unfolds beneath a chandelier and gilded trim, an atmosphere so ornate it almost feels intentionally chosen to stage an Insurrection.
One might walk in with the impression that this will be an hour of standup, but the show delivers much more. It is a multimedia performance, including political commentary, voiceover recording, short film, theatrical act-outs, rehearsed standup, and improvisation. Malbeuf opens entering the dark space with a flashlight, then plays a prerecorded mockumentary short film that gently undercuts his own ego. He then returns to the stage to offer his audience a blend of wit and gravity. His material doesn’t aim for the constant laugh-laugh-laugh rhythm of standup; instead, he’s comfortable sitting in serious, even heavy, moments before bringing the mood back up with a well-placed joke. This unapologetic pacing shows respect for the seriousness of his subject: America’s deep, systemic issues.
In this iteration of the piece, it feels like Malbeuf is exploring the interplay of his different performance modes. Over the course of the hour, he moves fluidly between sharp stand-up, playful crowd work, theatrical scenes with lighting and staging shifts, and personal storytelling. While he’s skilled in each area, his strongest moments come in the theatrical breaks where staging and performance shift into mini-play-like moments. Additionally, his crowd work is not to be missed. One highlight was when an audience member’s phone rang early in the show; Malbeuf instantly riffed on it, playfully asking if they should answer and tell the caller it was Trump, then working in the man’s Florida background to land more improvised laughs.
Early in the piece we learn Malbeuf hasn’t performed for the last five years, and this show marks his return to it. Like many artists at Edinburgh, his trajectory to this moment feels like a story in itself. The piece is already smooth and well-constructed; if he leans even more into the theatricality and crowd interaction, his most dynamic tools, it could evolve into something truly outstanding.
This show is Highly Recommended for its polish, seamless multimedia integration, and the way Malbeuf balances entertainment with an unflinching look at serious issues, all while making the audience feel they’re in the hands of a confident, quick-witted host.
By the time you leave, you might feel like you’ve just witnessed an elegant coup in comedy. You won’t be sorry you went.
