Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Steffan Alun: Stand Up
Steffan Alun
Genre: Comedy, Solo Show, Stand-Up
Venue: Hoot 4 at Hoots @ The Apex
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Steffan Alun makes his Fringe debut with Stand Up; a warm, funny and thoughtful hour that celebrates the importance of telling small and unheard stories.
Review
Steffan Alun brings his debut hour to the intimate Hoots 4 venue at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival with his new show Steffan Alun: Stand Up. His comedic mission is simple but powerful: to champion the small stories, the untold stories, the unique stories and, when filtered through his unique worldview, the funny stories.
Alun has an infectious energy. Even before the show begins, he is gently corralling the audience into their seats, joking that, for him, it is like ‘a little game of Tetris’ that helps soothe his need for organisation. He reassures us early on that there will be minimal audience interaction, delivering this in such a warm and thoughtful way that you cannot help but feel at ease. No cheap tension, no fear of being put on the spot, just a kind comedian who wants you to relax and enjoy yourself.
To call it a debut hour is always a bit of an insult to a comic who has been working the scene for the last 14 years and his ease and control on stage is indicative of his experience. The comedy style is observational and conversational with the inevitable tangents that go hand in hand with his neurodiversity diagnosis.
The main show itself is very slick, with laughs coming at a steady pace. Alun’s material ranges around beautifully from the twee to the meaningful and memorable sections involve him explaining what it means to be a very proud Welshman, his battle with ADHD and his musings on what it means to be bisexual, despite being in a monogamous relationship for the last 21 years. The emerging throughline to the hour is the focus on the strength and importance that lies behind hearing the stories of the marginalised, the sidelined and the generally unheard. Leaving us to ponder one very important point, amid the many, many laughs – Alun reminds us, with humour and heart, that if you have never heard a story like your own, perhaps it’s time to tell it yourself.
Steffan Alun: Stand Up is an excellent hour: smart, heartfelt and genuinely funny. It’s not just comedy, but a joyful act of solidarity. Proof that when someone chooses to stand up to be heard, little stories can land with a big impact.
