“Quick, confident and unafraid to be vulnerable, Live a Little is a stand-out Fringe debut from Mario Adrion.”
International model and stand-up comedian Mario Adrion makes his Fringe debut with Live a Little, a darkly comic treat that sees him recount his journey from a picturesque German village to the world of modelling. Mario brings an endearing frankness and self-deprecation to this hour-long set as he explores skewed power dynamics, German stoicism, and encounters ranging from the absurd to the downright traumatic. Nothing is off limits in this set from the charismatic and deeply funny German performer.
Detailing his childhood and teenage years in the Black Forest town of Alpirsbach, Mario gives us a sharply comic insight into his life as an unabashed people-pleaser. Recounting the extremely efficient and distinctly German nature of his parents’ platonic divorce, Mario explores the dynamics between his quietly disapproving mother and consequence-suffering father. He also seeks to dispel expectations of being the ‘German sex machine’, recounting an early romance that led to him voluntarily being circumcised before developing the ultimate revenge body. That physique would eventually see Mario featured in a ‘Hunky Gay Germans’ Facebook group, opening the door to his journey into the modelling world.
Mario extracts the maximum humour from this brilliantly outlandish true story, refusing to hold back as he shines a humorous light on every aspect of his life. He delivers his material with endearing bravado, combining expressive physical comedy with razor-sharp comic timing. Never afraid to play with German stereotypes, Mario even has a bank of Hitler gags ready to lighten the mood whenever needed.
Whilst Mario shines as a confident and likeable storyteller, he also offers genuinely interesting observations about the fashion industry and the manipulation and predatory behaviour that can lurk within it. He details a number of encounters that he brushed under the carpet at the time, making shrewd observations about masculinity and the discomfort of recognising or accepting sexual violence and crossed boundaries. Mario ventures into darker territory as he recounts a business trip to China that resulted in an act of sexual violence, before describing a cathartic, mushroom-fuelled trip to Burning Man.
It is clear throughout Live a Little that Mario is unafraid to push boundaries, and this honest and unrestrained approach makes for a thoroughly enjoyable hour of sharp, high-energy stand-up. Mario jokes about being granted a visa for his “extraordinary abilities” when he moved to the United States to model, but it is equally clear that the German possesses extraordinary comedic abilities too.
Quick, confident and unafraid to be vulnerable, Live a Little is an impressive Fringe debut from Mario Adrion. Beneath the laugh-out-loud storytelling lies an engaging examination of masculinity, identity and resilience, with Mario striking the perfect balance between outlandish comedy and genuine emotional honesty.
Mario Adrion: Live a Little plays at the Pleasance Courtyard Attic this Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Tickets are available here.
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