Few acts will have an entrance as impactful this Fringe as Ellie MacPherson did for her one-woman show Babe Lincoln. Dressed as the man himself, entering the stage on stilts and performing a rendition of Smash Mouth’s ‘All Star’, MacPherson has the audience in the palm of her hand from the first minute of the show to the very last.
Told through song and dance, MacPherson takes us through the life of Honest Abe through the guise of a one-man show written by the former president himself. From the off, it’s clear that MacPherson is a natural. Controlling the audience with ease, getting them to sing along and laugh at any given moment, you can’t help but be in awe of her as a performer.
With a great selection of songs and jokes, prepare yourself for plenty of laughs, a damn good time, and a surprisingly sincere message to cap it all off. Using the politics of Lincoln to reflect on the current state of the world, Babe Lincoln is a show that has simply come around at the right time. If laughter is the best medicine then perhaps Ellie MacPherson can heal us all.
Ellie MacPherson: Babe Lincoln, Pleasance Courtyard, until 25 August, 4.35pm.