Ellie White: Humans

Debut free Fringe acts bring certain images to mind: ones of clumsily delivered material, lukewarm audiences, and odd venues. Only one of this list (hint: Viva Mexico on Cockburn Street) applies to Humans, Ellie White's Invisible Dot-backed character hour. And while this is indeed White's first solo show, her pedigree shines through every vocal shift and costume change. Part of The Dot's dream team of 'New Wave' superfriends, White has had a busy year indeed. But it has left her tangibly stronger than most of her contemporaries. Humans is close to pitch-perfect.

It's a tall order to take the focus away from the taco hut flanking your stage. Or the multi-coloured paper lamps. Or the horchata machine whirring upstairs. But White's range of characters somehow complements the venue's strangeness, and her deadpan charm occupies every inch of the packed-out room. Her characters range from a precocious sixth form graduate-cum-left-wing-poet, to a pained, frightened contender for the Miss Haringey beauty pageant. We are quizzed on our knowledge of David Gray and invited to a cat's eighteenth birthday. Her characters are both vibrant and unnerving; White is a small-framed powerhouse with startling range and a masterful command of her craft.

While maybe not the most fun you can have in a cantina basement, White's hour provides us with a close second. Whether you're trying to accrue insiderish 'I knew her when...' comedy cred, or you're simply after a remarkably fun afternoon Fringe hour, Humans is not to be missed.