If being geeky was an Olympic event Team GB would have yet another gold in the bag. Jessie Cave’s Bookworm is a swotty tribute to the world of literary fandom, complete with D-I-Y drawings, shadow puppetry and a cardboard shed into which the star’s real-life sister is bossily banished.
Cave, best known as Ron Weasley’s girlfriend Lavender Brown in the Harry Potter films and Simon Amstell’s chum in Grandma’s House, blurs boundaries between autobiographical anecdote and spoofery in her mock book-club meeting, excitedly recalling how she infiltrated the Hogwarts set by claiming to be Emma Watson’s body double. Elsewhere, declarations of love for Mrs Babar and Aslan the Lion underline impressions that this bubbly bibliophile in Dierdre Barlow glasses is 25 going on 13.
The Edinburgh Fringe will deliver funnier shows but none as nerdy. Cave has charm and an infectious enthusiasm that draws the audience in, while a subtext about thwarted romance adds depth. A token reference to 50 Shades of Grey sits uncomfortably in the celebration of innocent obsession but with some whipping into tighter shape this could be a cult classic.
Until Aug 26 (0131 226 0000, edfringe.com)
