Show Description

Allegory is a work-in-progress standup comedy show about the stories we tell ourselves while situating our own identity in the constellation that is our circle of colleagues, friends and family while nursing a pet octopus with digestive issues. The themes in the show are loosely about being an immigrant parent navigating the conundrum of dissecting the past in light of the present, working women and our apocryphal freedoms and our relationship to our Debuting at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022 selling out most of its box-office run, minds and bodies. In this show, Anu will workshop new bits of this show which will premiere in the coming months. Anu Vaidyanathan’s debut comedy hour, BC:AD - Before Children, After Diapers, has toured the world including two stops off-Broadway, Europe (Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Munich, Luxembourg, Paris, Krakow, Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona), UK (London, Cambridge, Rotherham, Sheffield, Bristol, Brighton, Wales) and India (Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai).

Press Reviews

Excellent moments of surprise and subversion – The List

Clever, quick-fire observations. – The Scotsman

Super and funny – Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Audience Reviews

Original and engaging show. The hour has passed before you know it. Go and see it whilst you can. – Vanessa Lloyd (UK)

A brilliant and hilarious show. Highly recommended! – Anil Kandola (India)

An unexpected gem found on the off chance during one of the many sojourns in Edinburgh. Chock full of hilarious connotations about certain states and people in India along with her journey across the world, Anu’s show is a refreshing antidote to the "normal comedy" one would expect to see at such events. Her unabashed manner makes her whole act that much better and means she should (hopefully) become a Fringe regular in years to come. Definitely worth your time to go and see her perform! – Rishi (Edinburgh)

Anu tells a woman’s story, a travelers story, a mother’s story, the human story with humor. She never loses the spice of her south Indian origins but never loses the universality of the human experience. She shows how we chose to tell our stories . We can laugh or cry as we look at our lives. She chooses to laugh and have us all laugh with her. Loved it. – Carolyn Larke (USA)

This was my favourite show at fringe this year. Clever, witty and interesting . I would have sat there all day. She needs a bigger venue and a bar in the room so next time I can listen for a couple of hours. I would take my daughter and my fairly sensitive mother and they would both love it. If she isn’t their next year I’m taking legal action!!! – Steven Brown (Edinburgh)

This show is so much relatable and it was really fun. Loved every bit of it. – Debjotee Dutta (India)

Anu put on a great show, which kept our family glued to their seats the entire time. It’s funny, with a great mix about life & global cultures. Clean cut & easy to follow. Would definitely recommend. – Darren Schwab (Berlin)

Artist Bio

Anu Vaidyanathan is a filmmaker, comedian, and engineer whose memoir Anywhere But Home (about her life as India’s first endurance triathlete) was long-listed for the Mumbai Film Festival’s word-to-screen market in 2016. Her feature scripts have found themselves at the final rounds at Sundance and Rotterdam. As a comedian, she has performed across the world in the USA, greater Europe, UK and India and has trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and Ecole Philippe Gaulier in France. Her book and films are available on Amazon and on request.

Artist Press

“…Endurance is in the family.” (Harper’s Bazaar). “…inspiring, refreshing and full of surprises.” (Hindustan Times). “India’s Female Ironman” (Wall Street Journal).