Ariana and the Rose presented ‘The Breakup Variety Hour’ at Assembly George Square Studios at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026.

The simplest way to describe this show is a pop concert in a comedy bar.

Ariana and the Rose, aka Ariana Di Lorenzo, takes the audience on a whistle-stop tour through her 6 step programme to get you through a break-up in a way that is all too relatable and cathartic yet hilarious and endlessly engaging.

But this is no traditional heartbroken singalong. Ariana performs back-to-back original songs which managed to engage the audience throughout – no mean feat. By the end, the heartache had made way for a full-blown party, with the crowd up on their feet on the Saturday night.

With a simple yet effective storytelling narrative running throughout, as she crosses through the stages from grief to anger to finding your confidence again, Ariana proves she’s more than just a powerhouse vocalist. Her comedic timing is spot on, and the conversations woven between each section show she could just as easily present an entire stand-up hour.

Despite this powerfully commanding stage presence and the confidence she exudes, there’s something in Ariana’s delivery that makes you feel instantly at ease in her company. It’s clearly a shared opinion, so much so that when she invites audience members on stage to share their dating horror stories, they bound up and make themselves right at home spilling their secrets.

The show could be slicker in its production with cues and sound but the format works in her intimate venue. Ariana has the opportunity to let her stand-up breathe more than back-to-back songs as she continually lands some of the most natural quips we’ve heard.

Beneath the catchy singles, chatter and jokes lies a deeper message within her self-confessed ‘therapy’, one that will leave you reflecting on your own break-ups with a renewed sense of empowerment long after you’ve left the venue.

By the end of this show, you’ll either want to be Ariana, be her best friend — or both.

An unstoppable talent that I’d surprised if she is not performing on much larger stages in future Fringes to come.

P.s I agree, no one can be sad with a feather boa…

★★★★