Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Low Down
Adi Parmar: Sunny Boy is a one-hour blend of stand-up and storytelling that lives at the crossroads of joy, contemplation, and hope.
Review
A debut show is one of the most exciting things to see at the Festival. There’s a palpable electricity in the room when an audience senses they are witnessing the birth of a new voice (pun intended, see the show). Adi Parmar knows this, and he uses it. Not only does he name it plainly, but he uses the clear lack of familiarity to create a landscape of suspense, humor, and surprise. In Sunny Boy, Parmar presents a one-man show that manages to feel simultaneously fresh and familiar. He embraces the welcoming style of the one-man show, while dodging the self-indulgent tropes that often plague the genre.
Parmar’s navigation of cultural identity makes the show for everyone. He has a specific background, and a specific identity, but played to a room far from homogenous. He creates shared experience in the finer details, then draws stark contrasts to elevate his own. Parmar doesn’t shy away from stereotypes, but also doesn’t lean on them for an easy laugh. He expertly leverages, supports, and then warps them to fit his own narrative. He again sidesteps from the classic bait-and-switch of the solo show by affirming through contradiction. It’s a sophisticated game of subversion and exploration that forces serious introspection, but supports absurdity and joy. This isn’t a show that asks for your pity. Instead, it asks you to find hope and excitement of what can, and perhaps will, be.
Parmar’s technical command of the space is equally impressive. His crowd work is effortless, maintaining a level of audience control that usually takes years of touring to master. Even with a smaller crowd, his energy is infectious. Parmar makes the Wee Room feel like it has the energy of a thousand-seat theatre, and the intimacy of a basement comedy club.
I realize everything I’ve said seems to the contrary, but this truly is an hour of stand-up, not a solo storytelling show. Parmar uses basic props and images to create massive emotional impacts, but keeps the stage and movement to a minimum to maintain the comedy set-up. This is all to say that, especially for stand-up, Sunny Boy is surprisingly moving. You don’t fully realize the weight of the journey until it’s over, and although you leave with a smile on your face, you also leave with a fuller, more appreciative heart.
Parmar is guaranteed to go far, and I’m sure this won’t be his last time at the Fringe, but it will be his last time with a show this intimate. Sunny Boy gives audiences the chance to see a rising star the way comedy is meant to be experienced: joy, laughter, and appreciation.
