Katie Mulgrew @ Laughing Horse, Southside Social

After having a year away from the festival, Katie Mulgrew is back and raring to go. Her show Saboteur makes up for lost ground, covering her last year away from the Fringe and taking an introspective look at parenthood and the bond between child and parent. She wants the world to up its game, but has yet to muster more than the signing of e-petitions to make it happen. Saboteur references the fact that Mulgrew is prone to self-sabotage – now that she has the responsibility of a child, she faces an even bigger challenge to get it together.

Mulgrew makes no bones about the subject of this year's show being her transition into motherhood. Her conversational inclusivity and buddying charm create a cosy atmosphere, akin to a coffee-fuelled catch-up with an old friend around the kitchen table. "You don’t get to go out much with a 11-month-old baby," she says, before delving into a routine about emotional signposting (a balloon-based suggestion from her husband during Mulgrew’s pregnancy to help show her mood). 

Mulgrew is naturally funny, but its her storytelling that pins the show together, as she breaks the show into smaller digestible pieces by occasionally diverting from the main topic of discussion. There are some lulls in the second half of the hour which slow things down considerably, though routines about Robocop and a hen night help fill the gaps. Happy balloons at the ready.

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Katie Mulgrew: Saboteur, Laughing Horse @ Southside Social, 4-28 Aug (not 15), 3.45pm, Free