Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Lily Blumkin: Nice Try
Lily Blumkin
Genre: character comedy, Comedy, Solo Show
Venue: Patter House
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Lily Blumkin’s debut Nice Try is a lively rummage through childhood memories, each object sparking a quirky character along the way. Warm and engaging as a storyteller, Blumkin charms the room, though the comedy and characters could be developed further. The energetic and affectionate debut show entertains and draws appreciative chuckles. Further exposure and tighter comedy writing could help turn those moments of promise into bigger, sustained laughs.
Review
Lily Blumkin bounds onstage with warmth, confidence, and bags of energy. She sets the scene in her teenage bedroom, about to be packed up as her parents downsize, with each object inspiring a memory and a character. It is a neat framing device, and with a screen and images to set locations such as a diner, a synagogue, a shop, and even the shower, the structure holds together well. At 29, taking stock of childhood and formative years feels like a timely and fruitful theme.
From the clutter of her past, a gallery of figures appear, all brought to life through costume and voice. The teenage friend at a Bar Mitzvah nervously fumbles through a speech, unwittingly revealing his crush; her dad, eager to prove his support for his daughter’s gay relationship, produces a rainbow-coloured surprise at the diner; and her mum’s wine-swilling book club friend Trish wishes she had daughters instead of “problem sons” while pouring ever more wine down, and over, herself. (Full marks to the hardworking stage assistant for mopping up afterwards!). Other standouts include a rabbi convinced, like all men, that he is naturally funny simply because he has a microphone, and a well-observed skincare shop worker upselling strange and costly remedies. The surreal appears in the form of a clump of hair that longs to escape the shower, go dancing, and live freely. This departure from human characters adds a fun and more cartoonish edge to the performance and suggests that bringing to life inanimate objects could be a fruitful direction for Blumkin to explore further.
Blumkin has presence and charm, coming across as someone you would like to get to know: an engaging storyteller, full of energy, with a generous stage manner. As a comedian, however, she feels less experienced. The show leans more towards extended sketch than punchline-driven humour. The audience of around twenty were supportive and appreciative, but their response was largely steady chuckles rather than shared, sustained laughter.
That said, there are some lovely lines and memorable moments: the smell of her bedroom, the argument with her 13-year-old self (‘No, I am not a vampire… I am just anxious and polite’), and the parting shot when that self disappears with the line ‘Oh no, I should have told her to invent Uber!’ These flashes of wit suggest Blumkin could tap into a richer seam of comedy by pushing her writing towards sharper gags or deeper absurdity. The comedy and standout characters could perhaps be strengthened by testing them in shorter spots in front of stand-up crowds. Alternatively, Blumkin may choose to lean further into storytelling, and even consider showing us more of her true self.
Overall, the title Nice Try sums it up well; it is an energetic, affectionate debut that makes inventive use of childhood memory and family foibles. It entertains and amuses, though it does not yet soar as comedy. One leaves admiring Blumkin’s charm and stagecraft, while hoping her next outing matches that warmth with material that delivers bigger laughs.
