His country is collapsing. He's having a baby. So obviously, this is the right year for a Lebanese comedian you've never heard of to try English stand-up for the first time.
His country is collapsing. He's having a baby. So obviously, this is the right year for a Lebanese comedian you've never heard of to try English stand-up for the first time. by John Achkar is a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026, performing at Underbelly, Bristo Square. It has 25 performances listed, running from Thu 6 Aug, 15:40 to Sun 30 Aug, 18:50. The run has finished — every listed performance has taken place.
About this show
Fresh off a sold-out Arabic tour across 85 cities, John has decided, for reasons he's still figuring out, that now is the time to try stand-up in his third language. He hasn't checked if Edinburgh is ready. He hasn't checked if his vocabulary is ready. But somewhere in the chaos, he's betting on one simple theory: we're all carrying the same stories, just told in different languages.
Details
- Performer: John Achkar
- Venue: Underbelly, Bristo Square
- Space: Friesian
- Genre: COMEDY, Stand-up
- Country: LEBANON
- Running time: 60 minutes
- Room size: about 115 seats (Friesian) — the Fringe box office sells a share of the room, not all of it
- Performances listed: 25, of which 0 still to come and on sale
Accessibility
- Wheelchair access: lift
- Access features: Accessible toilet
- Venue notes: Accessible entry: there are 18 steps into the venue if not taking the lift. Wheelchair access type:Lift (Building Lift) Stairs: 11- 20 Number of stairs is provided as guidance and is not in addition to any wheelchair access type (lift/ramp etc) stated above.
What the reviewers said
We have captured 3 published reviews and 30 audience reviews for this show from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s own listing. The excerpts below are the reviewers’ words, not ours — follow each link for the full review.
3.5 Stars. A charming hour with an comedian who laughs at his own jokes
A heartfelt hour of storytelling about fatherhood, hope and finding humour amid upheaval. As the lengthy title suggests, this is the story of a man whose country is falling apart while he navigates fatherhood and…
— The List (4 out of 5 stars)
I enjoyed this set which is more structured that it appears on the surface. For someone to do stand-up in a language that isn’t theirs and to not just get the laughs, but also challenge the audience to keep up, is quite…
— LOUREVIEWS (4 out of 5 stars)
Performance dates and ticket availability
- Thu 6 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £5.00
- Fri 7 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £5.00
- Sat 8 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £5.00
- Sun 9 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Mon 10 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Tue 11 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Wed 12 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Thu 13 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Fri 14 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Sat 15 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Sun 16 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Mon 17 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Wed 19 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Thu 20 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Fri 21 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Sat 22 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Sun 23 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Mon 24 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Tue 25 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Wed 26 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Thu 27 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Fri 28 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Sat 29 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Sun 30 Aug, 15:40 — Already performed — £10.00
- Sun 30 Aug, 18:50 — Already performed — £15.00