2012 Edinburgh Fringe

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Renowned satirist and high-speed, quick-change character comedian Will Franken makes his Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut this year at Just The Tonic. His unique form of theatrical comedy is all contained in his one-man sketch roller coaster of mind-blowing and gut-busting hilarity, Things We Did Before Reality.

The title is taken from his highly acclaimed podcast series, Things We Did Before Reality is indicative of Franken's never-ending quest to mine the ludicrous depths of the subconscious and illustrate, by means of his uncanny acting ability, razor-sharp wit, and general disdain for political correctness, the comedic pitfalls of perceived reality.

Named Best Comedian by the San Francisco Weekly and "Best Alternative to Psychedelic Drugs" by the Bay Guardian, Franken employs his prolific and fevered imagination to bring to life such alternate comedic realities as Al Gore using a map and a globe to illustrate how the earth has become less flat over time via the dangers of "Global Rounding"; Parents of pick-axe murdered children forming their own specialized support group (POPAMC) to keep out the parents of fire-axe murdered children (POFAMC); Stephen Hawking expressing gratitude at an AA meeting as he no longer "needs to get high to discuss the event horizon"; and a well-meaning but misguided Victorian-era social worker distributing condoms to protect prostitutes from Jack the Ripper - all this and much more as Franken "wanders through a parallel-universe city" of "fun-house imaginings" (The Onion).

A one-man Monty Python's Flying Circus served American style, Franken has appeared on BBC America's The World Stands Up and has been featured in numerous international comedy festivals including Montreal's prestigious Just For Laughs. His solo show Good Luck With It debuted at the New York International Fringe Festival to rave reviews by the New York Times, and ran at San Francisco's Marsh Theatre.