Life has heaped a lot of lemons on Doon MacKichan: death, divorce, illness, a career in voiceovers. It’s given her some treats as well, to be fair: children, two Emmys, the ability to Flamenco dance. The accomplished comedy writer and performer turns the bitterness of the former, drawing on the latter, into fodder for her one-woman show.

The resulting comedic survival memoir describes some of the worst times in her life, playing her pain for laughs. What in less capable hands could be a self-pitying diatribe or grotesquely misjudged is presented as a well-balanced blend of heartache and mirth, MacKichan’s skill with pen and on stage delivering a polished, professional and relatable show that revels in the irony of her comedy career and tragic home-life.

Through a range of sketches and impersonations that exercise her range, small moments count for a lot. The quirky way she starts the show, assiduous use of props and costumes and a startlingly energetic simulation of intercourse are marks of her experience. With Primadoona, MacKichan hasn’t made anything so pedestrian as lemonade.

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 30 Aug (not 17, 24), 5.30pm, £11.50–£12.50 (£10.50–£11.50).