Amanda Knox is performing an 11-day stand-up show titled Cartwheel at the Gilded Balloon Teviot during the Edinburgh Fringe, drawing reviews that question whether the material qualifies as comedy, alongside objections from the family of Meredith Kercher.
Amanda Knox Stand-Up Show at Edinburgh Fringe Draws Mixed Reviews and Family Objection
Amanda Knox is performing an 11-day stand-up show titled Cartwheel at the Gilded Balloon Teviot during the Edinburgh Fringe, drawing reviews that question whether the material qualifies as comedy, alongside objections from the family of Meredith Kercher.
Knox opens the show by telling the audience it is 'the most controversial show at the Fringe,' according to The Guardian, which described Cartwheel as a 'respectful' attempt by Knox to reclaim her story and said those expecting insensitive remarks about Kercher would be proved wrong.
Broadway World awarded the show three stars, characterising it as a piece about how Knox might one day explain the case to her young daughter rather than 'jokes about murder.' The outlet said the material was not offensive or inappropriate but was 'just not very funny,' and, like other reviewers, questioned the decision to bill the show as stand-up comedy.
The Times similarly questioned the show's framing, describing Cartwheel as 'more of a one-woman show than stand-up' and saying Knox needed a director. The Daily Telegraph also called for a 'decent director,' concluding the show was 'delivered with too much actorly poise, and no sense whatsoever for comic timing.'
Knox told the BBC she is using comedy to explore trauma and motherhood, and said she hopes people will 'honestly engage' with her work and recognise 'the deep heart and sensitivity' she brings to what she described as a very personal story.
Kercher's sister Stephanie told BBC Breakfast she fears the show risks 'normalising and trivialising' violence against women and her sister in particular. A petition set up by a friend of Meredith Kercher gathered nearly 5,000 signatures before the show launched, arguing it disrespects Kercher's memory.
The show's title references a story that once claimed Knox did cartwheels in a police station following her British roommate's death. Since Kercher's death, Knox has written two books about her imprisonment and served as executive producer on the biographical drama The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox.
- The source does not establish Knox's specific comedic material or set content beyond its general themes.
- The source does not establish the capacity or ticket sales figures for the Gilded Balloon Teviot run.
- The source does not establish whether Knox or the show's organisers have responded to the petition or Stephanie Kercher's comments.
- The source does not establish the identity of the friend of Meredith Kercher who created the petition.
- The source does not establish the exact dates of the 11-day run.
- The source does not establish the veracity or origin of the cartwheel story referenced in the show's title.
- The source does not establish audience attendance or audience reaction beyond critic reviews.