Amanda Knox's Fringe Show Draws 2- to 4-Star Reviews as Critics Question Its Comedy Billing
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 11
Amanda Knox's Fringe Show Draws 2- to 4-Star Reviews as Critics Question Its Comedy Billing
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 11
Summary
Early reviews of Amanda Knox's Edinburgh Fringe debut split sharply, with The Guardian giving Cartwheel four stars while The Times and Daily Telegraph awarded two and called it sincere but weak stand-up.
Critics largely agreed the problem was framing: the 11-day show plays more like a personal one-woman storytelling piece about trauma, motherhood and explaining the Perugia case to her daughter than a conventional comedy set.
Knox, 39, says she is using comedy to explore imprisonment, public scrutiny and violence against women, presenting the show as a respectful attempt to reclaim her story rather than make jokes about Meredith Kercher's murder.
The production opened under renewed backlash from Kercher's family and supporters, with sister Stephanie warning it could trivialise violence against women and a petition against the show drawing nearly 5,000 signatures.