MedFringe 2026
Low Down
Trying out a new show before Edinburgh, Nathan Cassidy is a comedian with a long career, including several Amazon specials. This show was presented as almost the first act, on the first day of the first ever MedFringe. Fort Luton, the venue in Chatham UK, is an intimate, cool place (in both temperature and vibe) making an ideal venue for stand up.
The diversity in the audience, demonstrated that the appeal of this offering, reaches a wider pool than simply Medway ‘culture vultures’, conferring enthusiasm that MedFringe will thrive like it’s northern counterpart.
Review
Nathan Cassidy is a safe pair of hands in any stand-up comedy gig. The funny thoughts come thick and fast, he can bob and weave to incorporate any outside noise, heckle, late arrival or audience interaction seamlessly. And his philosophical musings are clear, with references beautifully brought together, pleasingly completing the narrative arc.
But in his new stand up set ‘From the Ashes’, Cassidy is exploring what that safety costs him. He takes his audience on a journey, vulnerably exploring his perceived strengths (comedy) and weaknesses (divorce & parenting) and emotionally connects us to his experience on both those things.
Cassidy places comedy firmly in the arts landscape and with a touch of dry-humoured bitterness, laments the lack of arts funding for stand up. The wider question ‘what is art’ is of course never far away. We find out how much he receives from those ‘Amazon specials’, drawing us in to his thoughts on ‘success’ and the definitions conventionally used. As a divorced-dad-in-a-basement, Cassidy doesn’t hold back from taking us into the depths of that place – and it is everything he (and we) feared.
Gender and personal experience may dictate the way any audience member receives Cassidy’s – very male – expressions of anger towards his ex-partner. While any break-up is complex and it is the privilege of his position speaking in front of us which gives us his side only, ultimately mitigation comes from his likeability, and ability to examine his own reactions to a very painful betrayal.
It is to his credit that at no point do we feel intrusive or awkward, despite these revelations. There is an element of the confessional. But Cassidy is secure in his ability to navigate us back to the ‘funny’, and equally so about dwelling in the darker places.
Despite his protestations on the small size of the audience, the room felt ideally suited to an intimate style of comedy. It is interesting to note that in the space of three days at the start of MedFringe, this reviewer has seen two pieces examining the role of the separated father. What does this tell us about programmers at fringe festivals, or the voices stepping forward to be heard in that forum?
Ultimately the ferocity of a parents love for their child comes shining through. If it is any consolation to Cassidy and divorced parents everywhere, change is the only constant and no parent gets to keep any version of their child, save in exactly the sort of experiential memories Cassidy celebrates so vividly in this outstanding show.
