Ayo Adenekan: Homeland Insecurity comedy review – Sunny storytelling
Ayo Adenekan relives a Fringe fling and the messiness of love in a warm, witty and heartfelt hour of self-discovery
This is a sophomore show from the young Scot, following his successful 2025 debut hour which garnered him a job in the Saturday Night Live UK writing room. Last year Adenekan was concerned with identity, whereas this time he takes a look at love with the narrative continually returning to the story of a relationship he had with a performer during the Fringe a few years ago, just before he himself became a stand-up. It’s a loose but pleasing framing device for Adenekan’s apparently disparate musings; from coming out as bisexual to navigating the male relationships within his friendships and his family.
There’s a trip to see relatives in Nigeria, a country he’s never lived in but in whose culture he is imbued through his family and heritage. Meanwhile, childhood trips with his friend to sleepy Dumfriesshire towns put him in touch with his Scottish identity. Adenekan is a gentle presence with an easy humour that’s a joy to experience. But quite how structured this deceptively scattershot show is sneaks up on you, wrapping up with nifty callbacks aplenty and a throughline of self-discovery.
Ayo Adenekan: Homeland Insecurity, Monkey Barrel Cabaret Voltaire, until 30 August, 1.30pm; picture: Matt Stronge.