There’s a knowing smile on Laura Benanti’s face as she looks out at the audience, some of whom were familiar with her stage career (I’d have given you a quick rundown but she has a Wikipedia page, so you could always look at that if you were so inclined). “You thought I was going to sing something from My Fair Lady,” she beams, having just sung a song about – wait for it – dicks (yes, in the plural, as she has been on the receiving end of unsolicited photos of male genitalia, something which resonated with quite a few women in the audience at the performance I attended). I had a vague idea that this was going to be more irreverent than family-friendly, as I had seen her perform before, at London’s Cadogan Hall. Then, as in this Edinburgh Fringe show, the audience chortled away heartily – not light chuckles, but belly laughs.
Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares. Photo by Avery Brunkus
Conscious that she was pulling in Fringe crowds to see a middle-aged white woman sing and talk about her life (although I would argue by reply that it says something about Fringe crowds rather than her) – “Eww!” was her verdict on what she called autobiographical one-woman shows – this disarming self-deprecation permeated the show. Despite the presence of an on-stage band, this was very much a comedy show with songs rather than a musical theatre production.
A few days before seeing Nobody Cares, I went to the first actual, legal wedding to take place as a ticketed Edinburgh Fringe show (to say it was the first wedding to take place in a Fringe venue would not be correct, as Fringe venues include hotel ballrooms and working churches). There it was made clear by the registrar that marriage is not something to be entered into lightly (financial commitments aside) and it is a lifelong commitment. This came back to my mind as Benanti spoke about the shock horror that registers on some people’s faces when she tells them she has been divorced twice and in now on her third marriage.
Elsewhere, there was talk about her children and the adorable (and not so adorable) things they say and do. A recollection of a three-day labour drew audible gasps from the audience. I mean, it might happen in this country, the National Health Service being what it is, but in America?
The sound balance between the live band Benanti’s strong singing voice (let’s just say that Tony Award and multiple Tony nominations are justified) was excellent. A master storyteller, Benanti deserved the standing ovation at the end of a whirlwind and utterly captivating performance.
Review by Chris Omaweng
Known for her dazzling Broadway performances and razor-sharp wit, Laura Benanti blends site-splitting storytelling with original songs. A hilarious, heartfelt and sometimes brutally honest take on getting older, people-pleasing, motherhood, marriage(s) and the absurdity of it all.
Created and performed by Laura Benanti, with songs co-written by Todd Almond
Directed by Annie Tippe
Music Direction by Todd Almond
LAURA BENANTI: NOBODY CARES
Underbelly Bristo Square at the Edinburgh Fringe
30 July to 24 August 2025
