★★★★★
Lolly Adefope only debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year with her first solo show and this year she's appeared on The Last Leg and landed herself a regular part in Sky 1 comedy Rovers, playing barmaid Sam.
One of my big regrets last year was not going to see Lolly's debut solo show, but luckily this year I was able to see her second solo show. The difficult second album if you like.
Although there was nothing difficult about Lolly 2 from where I was sitting. I thought Lolly's character comedy was confident, smart and and of course hilarious. In fact, I don't think I've ever laughed so much in my three years of coming to the Fringe.
Lolly begins the show by picking out quotes from some reviews of her Fringe debut. These quotes are from The Guardian and Chortle, both of whom seemed to only see Lolly as a black performer, and as such were surprised when she didn't mention her race.
A very odd thing to say, but I'm glad they did because their comments have meant that Lolly was able to go away and deliver a show which was nothing short of outstanding.
There are a lot of characters in Lolly 2 and whilst most sketch shows often consist of a few duff characters, this one didn't. Every time the lights went down and back up, I was excited to see what character Lolly would bring to the stage next.
It's also very hard to pick a favourite character, but I did love the EE customer service assistant who is a big Adele fan, and towards the end of the show gives Lolly a chance to show off her incredible vocals, treating us to a rendition of When We Were Young.
She's not always in character though, some sketches allow her to be more herself, or at least a version of Lolly which works on the stage. This is where Lolly is allowed to get topical with sketches about Tinder, the 2016 Oscars and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
There's a very funny moment when Lolly recalls a racist Tinder date she went on but my laughter tears were saved for her audition to play Hermione, sorry Black Hermione in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which was every bit as brilliant as it sounds.
Whilst it was only Lolly on stage, her material is written in such a way where you can imagine the world around her, you can imagine the people taking back to her and that in itself is an impressive skill to have.
The show ends with her 2026 Oscars acceptance speech, having won an oscar for her portrayal of Black Hermione in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - and Lolly thanked the Academy for allowing plays to be nominated in order to make her material work.
For only her second Fringe show, Lolly has done exceptionally well and I can only hope that we'll continue to see her star rise.
Whilst a show like Rovers on Sky 1 might have been a great platform for her, I'd love to see what she can bring to the small screen herself as Lolly 2 proves that she is also a great writer as well as a strong performer.
If any commissioners are reading this, Lolly deserves her own sketch show. There's no way a talent like hers can be allowed to slip through the net.
Lolly Adefope: Lolly 2 will be on at the Pleasance Courtyard until Sunday 28th August at 6pm