⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mel McGlensey Is NORMAL is one of those Fringe shows where you know within minutes whether you are exactly the right audience for it. If you enjoy comedy that is strange, collaborative, self-aware and just a little bit unhinged, this is very much your people.
The premise is simple and ridiculous in the best way.
Mel McGlensey is trapped inside a simulation and will only be released if she can be normal for a full hour of comedy.
The catch is that the audience decides what “normal” looks like. Throughout the show, the crowd votes using claps and cheers to determine what happens next, shaping the direction of the performance in real time.
This is improvised comedy, but not in a loose, anything-goes way. There are clear structures and recurring bits that are triggered by audience choice, which gives the show momentum while still allowing it to veer wildly off course.
It starts at 9pm, which feels exactly right. This is the kind of show that benefits from the audience being a little looser, a little less self-conscious, and perhaps one drink more open to embracing the absurd.
The tone sits firmly in the delightfully weird category. There are moments that are intentionally cringey, but cringey in the way that makes you laugh with your whole body rather than shrinking into your seat.
The humour is bold, physical and sometimes completely baffling, with standout moments including the unforgettable “Tooth Touch” and the “Big Titty Baby”, both of which landed somewhere between “what am I watching” and “I cannot stop laughing”.
What really makes the show work is how much fun Mel is clearly having.
There is a sense of genuine joy and playfulness throughout the performance, which makes even the strangest moments feel inviting rather than alienating. That energy is mirrored in her interaction with the sound technician, who is also her real-life husband. The two bounce off each other beautifully, creating an easy rhythm that keeps the show moving and gives it an added layer of warmth and spontaneity.
Audience participation is a big part of the experience, but it is handled with care.
While the crowd is asked to contribute regularly, Mel is very intuitive about reading the room. If someone’s enthusiasm or weirdness quota has clearly peaked, she moves on without pushing or embarrassing anyone. That sensitivity makes the show far more accessible than it might sound on paper, and it would be a shame for anyone to skip it out of fear of being put on the spot.
The performance space is small and intimate, which adds to the feeling that you are being let into the inner workings of a very strange and very funny mind. It feels private, collaborative and fleeting, like something that could only exist in that exact room with that exact audience.
Mel McGlensey Is NORMAL will not be for everyone, and that is part of its charm.
But for the right crowd, it is inventive, fearless, and genuinely hilarious. A weird little window into normality, as decided by the audience, and a reminder that sometimes the strangest shows are the most memorable.