Photo credit: Trevor Paul

Post by @federicabalbi

Seen at Edinburgh Festival Fringe on the 8^th of August 2026

4 stars – ‘it makes you laugh but also think’

Mario Adrion had a fully sold-out Edinburgh run (but worry not, they have added more dates). By the cheering at his entrance on stage it was pretty obvious that he has a fandom, not only an audience (pretty privilege? He’s doing it the right way). I also knew him from the socials, where he posts jokes about travelling and snippets of his crowd work. So, I went because I was curious about the rest of the show. And I laughed a lot.

Live a Little is such a silly title, and if you see the show, you’ll know why. The plot? A few years in Mario’s life since he left Germany to be a male model until he quit that world. Years of travelling, discovering his aesthetic capital, and navigating the modelling industry, while trying to fulfil his dreams… or his mother’s expectations. Oh, and be prepared for wit, quick delivery, language switches, and a very dirty show.

Mario manages to get away with so many jokes based on stereotypes, especially around nationality and sexual orientation, and cashes in the laughs. I had to stop and wonder why, and I don’t think it’s because his audience, or fandom, is not woke enough, but there are two other reasons. First, I believe it’s his ironic and utterly cynical attitude towards pretty much everything, himself included, that makes the laughter come first and the criticism later, if it comes. Second, almost all the jokes are related to real episodes, and they don’t feel like playing on the stereotype, but rather like that time you were on holiday abroad and you witnessed that thing that happened to match the stereotype… This is all to say: please invite those who complain that ‘you can’t say anything anymore’ and ask them if they see the difference.

But it’s not all just fun and games. This show is also about sexual assault, and the process of realising that what happened can’t and mustn’t be tolerated, of learning to call it a crime. Now, this is a sensible topic for many, and Mario does the important job of speaking about it, making his story resonate, which is the concept of #metoo. He does so with humour, which is great, but might also not feel so comfortable. You are prevented.

Anyway, even in the darkest moment, Mario knows how to get back to a brighter place. He knows that there’s always a superficial level to things, which sometimes, like in modelling, is all that counts. So, when needed, he knows how to surface back up with jokes that break depth into superficiality – another way around sorrow – until the tone is light again and the show can go on.

5^th-29^th August (not on the 17^th); various times

Running time: 60 minutes

Venue: Pleasance Courtyard

Tickets and Info: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/mario-adrion-live-a-little

Company Website: https://www.marioadrion.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marioadrion